Keeping track

Well, Nancy went off to rural Georgia for a family reunion.  Did I mention it is in the deep south?  And rural.  Far enough away that she doesn’t have cell phone connection and the in-house computer is a WOW:

http://mywowcomputer.com/

We were expecting her to send some info for me to cut and paste into a report, but that isn’t happening.  Also, I have been leaving every morning to observe at a horse clinic by Buck Brannaman

http://www.brannaman.com/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Brannaman

I can say that Nancy has been very busy and is having a good time.

She is to fly back into Yakima late Tuesday, just before Midnight.  I don’t expect her to be doing much for a day or so after that.

South Georgia got a bit of rain and temps in the low 90s.  Here the weather feels like mid-February.  Did I mention we sat and watched the horses with rain, sun, rain, thunder, a small bit of hail, and more rain.  A slight chance of all of the previous – plus wind – on Monday.

We will try to post again early Saturday – last day of June.

Cheers,

John

 

Saturday, June 9  Not a good day in my memory of 2009, but I survived and that’s all that really matters; thanks always again to all my caregivers, particularly John.  Today is CWU graduation and until I got sick, I attended every graduation.  I sat on the front row, got up and took pictures of my students, as they came down the ramp, and gave each a hug.  I often also participated in the “hooding” of our Resource Management graduate masters students.  I watched the 2009 event on TV from the ICU at the Kittitas Valley Community Hospital in Ellensburg that year.  This year the afternoon commencement ceremonies end at 3:30, so we will not be going in till later to meet my former student.  The wind is whipping at 41mph, so I’m happy I’m not out there in the stadium.  Now it is up to 43mph in the last hour.  Now an hour later it’s “down” to 40mph!  [John just took the dogs for another short exercise before we get dressed to be ready to “run” to town.]  We both got dressed early but we will be ready to rush out when he calls.  I emailed a few folks some pictures of the new travel trailer, the old motor home awning, and of the fixed feral cats.  Great advice from my Arizona John friend.  He made a good comment about the problem with opening the doors with the awning down, and ripping it, because of the small distance above the doors on the trailer.  The RV folks will be installing it, not us, so they should know, but I will suggest it.

We cannot drive the motor home (needs motor repaired), and we cannot repair the roof, which has leaked and rotted from snow piled up on it.  So, we are going to take what we can from it, have it towed in, and “give” it to them.  It gets rid of it.  We could not sell it; that we know.  They have the trailer now, to estimate how much it will be to install a new a/c unit and buy a generator, which we will be able to use around our place (the Rock’n Ponderosa) when not needing it on the trailer.

We ended up not going to town to meet my former student.  He cancelled out because he was tied up till after 6 and still needed to drive home to Renton.  He will be back later with his wife.  He was waiting to surprise me, but she couldn’t come with him this trip.  The wind is still blowing hard, has been all day and night, and we are ready to hit the hay.

Sunday, June 10  Awoke to more sustained breezes.  John’s out working in it, and I’m inside washing clothes, dishes, and sorting.  The sun is out.  Nothing on the agenda today that requires our going to town.  I am scheduled to do John’s haircut today, however.  (It didn’t happen.)  John managed to unroll the awning today.  It almost blew away in the wind, but he was able to see it only had one tiny little “hole” at the top by the clamp, probably from a bee’s nest, but otherwise it is in fine condition.  Nothing else new.  John watered specific plants and moved around irrigation water (plastic dams in ditches), some with hoses.  We haven’t seen Rascal since last night.  Really hope the cat screams we heard last night were not him being caught by an owl or a coyote.  He usually comes in during the night or early morning and he’s not been around.  Usually he sleeps on the bed through the day.  Our plans changed at 3:30 this afternoon when I got a phone call from the friend who had to leave yesterday.  He was back in Ellensburg with his wife, Sarah!  We got ready and drove to town to meet them for a visit.  When we got home, Rascal had returned.  Who knows where he was all night and day.  Too bad animals cannot talk.  They try, but we cannot understand them.

Monday, June 11  I went to acupuncture today and he worked on the pain in my neck and tight muscles there.  Also determined he thinks I’m anemic, so I have a call in for my family physician and to my cardiologist.  I cannot eat the prescribed spinach, and so we wonder if I need to take iron pills.  Then on to SAIL exercise class and home to put heat on my neck.  My family physician called and talked with me and suggested I get another blood test with my normal INR test, next week before I leave.

Tuesday, June 12  Appointments in town today, one a dental one, and the other closer to home, for my haircut, plus in the evening I go to play religious music with The Connections, this time at Hearthstone Cottage.  John said I would be wiped out from the dentist, and I am, but it went okay, the build-up.  Only problem is I still have a food catching hole (missing tooth) behind it, and so my dentist said we could fix it with a bridge.  Problem with that is I have to pay for 3 teeth, and the two on either side of the missing tooth must have crowns.  We already started the one today.  Then I’ll need to have the filling taken out of the back one and replaced with a crown to support the bridge.  It will cost me 3 times $750, and I can only have one bridge in a year covered by insurance.  The insurance pays the rest of the $3102.  The only nice thing is that if I have to have another isolated crown, I still can have it, and pay $750.  I still will save a little money, even with the insurance costing $70/month.  The cost on one crown at my dentist is $1072.  The only bad thing is I am scheduled for 9:30 the day I return from my rural Georgia reunion.  Thus, from Guyton, to Savannah, Seattle, Atlanta, Yakima (ETA at Midnight), and then home.  When I went for my haircut today, my hairdresser sent a bunch of different colored Iris home with me for John to plant.  There are purple (light and dark), yellow, white, blue, a variegated one called ‘stairs to heaven’, and a salmon colored one.  Neither horses or deer eat iris, so he is planting in an enclosed space between two dry-lots where he has some young Ponderosa Pines.  The Iris will be taller than the Pines for a few years and then the trees will start to shade them for a few years.  In the future the lower limbs of the trees can be cut off and then there will be shade directly under them during mid-day.  Now I went to work in the kitchen, opened the window and it is raining !!  Well, enough to wet the concrete.  While John was still in the house and I was eating my late lunch, we got a phone call about the travel trailer.  They have assessed that they can get a roof top a/c unit (Dometic Brisque Air) and install it for just under $1000.  Still need to get a generator and pay them to replace the awning from our motor home, and then build a building for protecting it from snow buildup and have extra space for hay (just now ripening in the Valley).  We are doing our part to kick-start the local economy.

Wednesday, June 13  John has taken off early for the dentist for his teeth cleaning.  Mine is next week before I take off for GA.  Tonight we attend a talk on the causes of Ice Ages and Glaciers using evidence from of the Cascades, with emphasis on the Valley of Icicle Creek (near Leavenworth).  I finally left for town (no I never yet did John’s hair, and won’t till Sunday, probably).   Today I played at the Food Bank Soup Kitchen.  We had quite a group of singers.  Three people (our groupies) sat at the table right in front of us and sang along, along with one of the volunteer workers (who does dishes) sat with us and sang.  He has a great voice.  It was really a good performance today.  Also, on some of the songs, two of the servers sing along with us (while serving).  The menu was Mexican casserole that was mild and very good; spicy hot rice with peppers and sliced hot sausage, a mostly spinach salad, but they picked out the other stuff for me to have, and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting they put on the cake while warm, so it was good.  Then from there on to SAIL exercise class.  Home by way of a woodcraft place to pick up some more pieces for free.  Today they were nicer than last week.  I got pieces rectangular or square about two feet on a side.  I only picked ones without holes or odd shapes, and none of the narrow ones like I picked up last week.

Thursday, June 14  We spent a lot of time this morning cleaning up junk and loading into the pickup for John to take to the dump (aka the transfer station).  [Who else is old enough to remember when unwanted stuff was just dumped over the side of a hill?  Then rats, raccoons, snakes, and folks could pick out the good stuff.  Bears came too.  And then, at night, people with lights would come to see the bears.  Others would come with 22s to practice their shooting skills on the rats.  Oh, where have the good times gone?  There are now “apps” of all these fun things but it just isn’t the same.]  John dropped me off for music at the Rehab center (where I spent 7 weeks in 2010).  Nothing much else today.  John went back into town for a trail riders meeting that was uneventful.  Well, folks reported on their riding but because we haven’t been doing any he didn’t have stories to tell.  Did they want to hear about him trimming and rasping Jazz’s hoofs?  No!

Friday, June 15  We went early Friday morning with Diane Huckabay to use our Costco card to help her buy foodstuffs for the celebration of Jim’s retirement tomorrow.  Jim was my chair for several years and we have known him since he began teaching as a geographer at CWU in 1993.  John and I went by one yard sale on the way to her house and John found a 20′ very heavy duty chain.  Then on the way home, we drove by a friend’s to drop off snap peas she ‘ordered’ and on to another yard sale at a friend’s place out about 8 mi from our house.  There I found a extendable legged tripod for taking pictures with my camera (paid $2.00).  I plan to take some footage tomorrow of the celebration “roast” part.  I took out time to walk through the pasture with John and the dogs and check out the south 40 – more like the south 3.

[For reference, see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_40#Popular_culture

Just for fun, follow the last link in the section to hodag.]

Then we came back and he showed me the garden.  Strawberries are looking nice.  Corn is coming up slowly (surely won’t be knee high by the 4th of July), and the squash, yellow beans, asparagus, tomatoes and pepper plants are growing.

Saturday, June 16  Retirement celebration was held from 2:00 to 5:00 at the Northern Pacific Rail Depot (under renovation).

http://digitum.washingtonhistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/genphotos&CISOPTR=22&CISOBOX=1&REC=1

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2450/3910369837_7c75365c98_z.jpg?zz=1

It was an exciting afternoon.  Many people from my past were there, and the venue was interesting as well.  We hadn’t been in the old Depot since 1989 when there was a little winery there (Cascade Mountain Cellars).  It didn’t last long.  I took two cameras with me and was the self-appointed photographer and videographer (and of course am a geographer)!  I took 90 pictures on one camera, in the first 1-1/2 hours, and then transferred to my other digital camera that I had attached to the tripod I bought yesterday and set up in the room for the roast as soon as John and I arrived.  I captured each person who spoke individually on a separate “movie”.  I have taken the stuff off my camera, but I need to transfer it to a CD — one of these days.  Probably won’t happen till I return from GA.  It will be another gift to my friend(s).  Note:  I leave Thursday for the reunion (~40 miles from the Atlantic Ocean near Savannah), and I am not sure that John will put out a blog in my absence.  I probably won’t have my computer along so cannot send him any information.  He’ll have to translate from phone calls.

Sunday, June 17 (Father’s Day).  We started out with John going to fix the irrigation water going to our neighbors.  The winds were high.  He did not take his cell phone, so when I got a call from the neighbor about the water diversion, I had to walk down and tell John.  I about got blown away on the way down, but the trip back was even worse.  Good thing I gained back some weight or I doubt I could have made it down and back without getting blown to Idaho.  He was at the lower end of our property and I was walking from the top end.  I’m not sure how many feet that was [about 1,000 – so says John], but with the wind, the exertion was greater than normal.  I also remembered I have to write a summary of our family to send to the gal accumulating information on the family for the Wilkins family reunion booklet.  Too much to do in too little time.  Yes, I need to cut John’s hair too.  Maybe he won’t return outside to work in this wind, after already spending a couple hours in it.  Today the airport gauges claim the winds are gusting at 36, 38, 40, 38 , 44, and back to 43mph for the last several hours, up to 44, 47, and 45, before this got finished ! (but out here I KNOW they are higher).  Also today had a call this morning from a friend from NM that they wanted to visit us this afternoon.  I talked them into visiting after my return from GA, and we would drive over where they are.  He taught Geology at CWU and we team-taught GIS from 1988.  He retired and now travels the country and lives in a huge motor home (their home) with his wife.  They are up here for a month at Crescent Bar, which is about an hour from us, and down the hill from our friends at the White Heron Cellars winery where John volunteers grape pruning.  Time to turn this over to John to enhance and post.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

Still on the Naneum Fan

 

Sunday, June 3  John drove to town in the old ’80 Chevy farm truck for gas.  Price today cheapest in town is $4.14 – our area is served by several refineries that scheduled maintenance and just as they went down a fire at another place took out all the backup.  So, as the rest of the nation has seen a price drop, we have gone the other way.  We are fixing carrot, walnuts, and toasted marshmallows casserole, and biscuits, for us, along with another couple of friends, to take to dinner tonight.  On the menu is elk ribs, salad, and green bean casserole being served at a friend’s house.

Monday, June 4   Cheapest gas in town today is $4.11.  We awoke to no cat in the trap.  We have all three fixed ferals with us being fed and watered every day.  We haven’t seen the extra orange cat in days, so if we don’t catch one in the morning, we will quit.  We went to the brunch and awards presentations at Dean Hall/Geography.  There were waffles and pancakes, sausage, bacon, much fruit, preserves, and so on.

Tuesday, June 5  We are done with capturing feral cats.  We re-caught Cashew this morning.  They don’t have bad memories of being caught.  I’m sure they have forgotten the connection to going to the vet, and just relate to the 2 weeks in the cage in the house where they were treated like royalty.  John is currently disassembling it.  Wind is 40 mph and threatening rain (which we had more of last night).  After taking down the cat-holding cage we have a large table again to work on for sorting, wrapping, or even eating.  How nice.  I spent most of the day completing a large email list announcing the retirement party for my colleague.  I have a store of emails for students back to early 1990s.  I have kept them current and the only problem is they are in several different places, so I have had to assemble into one list.  It’s a lot of work, but will have double value the way I’m using it.  I got it mailed tonight, and only had 21 returned for bad email addresses.  Not too bad, I suppose.

Wednesday, June 6  The wind is still howling.  All the cats were around tonight but this morning Cashew got most of the food.  Tonight Cashew was up on the loft and talking with John when he brought food & water.  Tonight he actually came to the back patio next to my recliner, sat outside, and talked to me.  He has such a deep expressive voice.  This morning before noon, I left to go to the Soup Kitchen food bank for music playing, singing, and then eating.  They had a great tuna casserole today, a salad of beans (Green, Garbanzo, and Kidney Beans).  Also garlic toast, and for dessert a full banana, with chocolate top covering (hard because they cooled the bananas).  From there to SAIL exercise class, and on the way, I picked up some free pieces of scrap cabinet plywood from a cabinet shop in town. Maybe we can find a use for it (mostly long narrow pieces), but no rush.  The table saw quit (motor or switch) a few years ago and it is now behind multiple stacks of other stuff.  That will become an issue if we can clean out the two rooms over which we now have skylights in the roof but not the openings in the ceilings – the light shaft.  Oh, back to this afternoon — I got home and tried to sort through emails.  There were several coming as RSVPs for the retirement celebration June 16.  John fixed baked chicken, fried mashed potatoes from last night and homemade applesauce from the freezer.  Tonight will be our own red raspberries on ice cream, and morning, on cereal.  I spent time on the phone this afternoon setting up with the RV place in town, talking to the Service Manager, about adding a/c to my “new” travel trailer.  We’re taking it in on Friday for an evaluation & estimate.

Thursday, June 7  All’s well here; except we lost Dan our Brittany male this morning on his morning exercise with John.  He has not showed up and is not dead on the road.  NO idea what happened.  He was right with him and disappeared into the brush.  Don’t know what to do.  He has a collar on with our identification and phone number.  Ideas?  Maybe he had a stroke, shot by a neighbor, caught by a cougar …

Weird and sad.  I figured when I went to town for music, and to pick up medicine for Rascal’s tapeworms, that he would be here when I returned.  But not so.  I wish I knew what to do.

Spent over an hour on the phone again, with Toshiba about the mini mouse that malfunctioned, and I think I finally have a replacement on the way to me.  I’m out the cost of mailing it back to CA with my invoice.  I think they should have covered that.

Twelve hours later, Dan (wayward Brittany) showed up; 9:30 p.m.  He was wet, tired, and hungry, but not hurt in any way.  Wish he could talk.

Friday, June 8  John’s inside wasting time looking at odd stories from around the globe.  Try this:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10811873

It raises the question:  Does the NZ dialect not include the term roast?

He wants to be outside doing something but it is cold and windy.  No fun.  It got just cold enough early Friday morning (about 5 am) to freeze leaves on a yellow summer squash plant.  Not even beans just a few feet away noticed the cold.  Today an air mass was swirling by and about every 2 hours it would rain for 5 or 6 minutes.  John worked on taking the garbage out of the truck that pulls the trailer, so we could take it in and leave it for an estimate today on adding a/c and installing it.  In addition, we’ll need to get a generator.  Turns out, they didn’t want to keep the truck, so moving the trash was unnecessary.  John covered it with a tarp during one of the short spurts of rain.  Rained on me too on my drive to massage and exercise.  Oh, while in there, I filled John’s Subaru with gas (and the price had reduced to $4.059, today; guess I should just say $4.06).

Saturday, June 9  The only thing on tap is a visit with a former student from Sudan, who will be in town for CWU’s graduation ceremony.  I’m happy I don’t have to be there this year, but we will meet with the fellow either before or after the afternoon ceremony.  He visited me 3 times (driving from the west side of the Cascades), while I was in the rehab/ nursing home for 7 weeks.  I last saw him in Seattle, last year, when I was there for a conference.  He met me with other geographers at a Chinese restaurant and we had a very nice visit.

Guess I’ll finish this and send to John to tweak and post.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

Still on the Naneum Fan

 

Sunday, May 27  Today is a quiet day at home.  John carved a path to the living room to watch a DVD on horses that our friends from Yakima thought we would appreciate.  He moved 8 boxes and has given me instructions to clean up at least one a day.  (I have already failed this week; adding this on Saturday).  The movie is called “Buck” and is the story about a horse trainer named Buck Branaman.  Years ago (18 or so) John took his horse Teak through one of Buck’s clinics here on the outskirts of Ellensburg.  Our player did not work (starting and stopping erratically; perhaps a dust overload), and we saw only about 10 minutes of the movie.  Something else to fix or replace.  Today, it started out sunny and windy.  The temperatures are expected to go to 70, but the gusts last hour (when John was exercising the dogs) went to 41.  Glad I’m not out trying to play music in the park for Memorial Day.  A couple of folks who play with our group have another professional group they play with, and they will be at the Odd Fellows cemetery (IOOF) and related city park with celebrations for memorial day, a day ahead today.  The Independent Order of Odd Fellows began in 18th Century England, it was deemed odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need without recognition and pursuing projects for the benefits of all mankind.  Later that day here, there were 43 mph gusts, and sustained winds all day were about 30 mph.  The City turned on sprinklers in a park and the the National Weather Service declared a severe extra-tropical cyclone.  Just kidding.

John found a nice listing of Vitamin K content of foods I should OMIT.  Follows, a list of those (most of which I knew):  kale, collards, spinach, turnip, beet, dandelion, or mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spring onions or scallions, parsley, asparagus, sauerkraut, endive, or green leaf lettuce.  Also recommended not to eat because they are high in Vitamin K, are okra, cabbage, rhubarb, plums dried or stewed, cowpeas or black-eyed peas.  John has stayed inside most of the day, with the winds sustained at 31 mph and gusting to 41 for the past 4-5 hours.  I stayed in the house doing chores needing done.  Cleaned the kitchen and have been sorting through things on the counters, and filing, paying, tossing, or whatever is required.  I need to clean up and sort through a box/day and keep at it.  This long weekend I have to do more than that.  Every room is piled high and there is no flat space anywhere.  We said we would do that over a year ago, but I didn’t have the stamina.  I might have it now.  Now I have to change my attitude and do something!  I did manage to tune his guitar and show him how.  He is getting ready to go out for a while.  He’s trying to dig posts out of the ground from part of the old fence that needs replaced, near our Carpathian walnut trees and tamaracks, and now near his set of blueberry bushes.  If it is too windy, he’ll move to another chore where there is less dust.  For sure, he will not be near the cottonwood trees because large limbs (or entire trees) fall in this situation.  The horses are smart enough to stay away as well.

Holy mackerel.  John went back outside to work, and there are now 32 mph sustained winds with 43 MPH GUSTS.

I did locate enough white cardboard mailers I once bought to mail membership certificates to GTU members.  GTU is Gamma Theta Upsilon, an international geographical honorary society.  I’m invited to the initiation ceremony this week at CWU Thursday night with dinner.  That will be nice.  When I was there, I was the chapter adviser.  I’m happy it is continuing in my absence.

John and I are having a late dinner tonight, because the pork roast was put in late.  Boy was it ever good!  John cooked it slowly and with onions and cherries (two kinds from our orchard, which had been frozen).  He fixed lima beans (that I can have, even though they are green), and we had one of his large biscuits.  Our inside/outside cat was thrilled to eat some of the pork roast.

Monday, May 28  Happy Memorial Day.  My dad was a veteran, and I’m proud of him.  John took two flags and put them at the end of our driveway.  We mostly did chores all day.  I went through a couple of boxes of papers left over from over 40 years of teaching.  Am recycling most, but also giving some books to colleagues or donating to the Map Library and Gov’t Documents Depository.  It is such a time-consuming chore.

John set up the trap to again try to capture the last kitty from near the camper where he’s been sleeping.  Tomorrow is another day, with a luncheon engagement with a former student who hasn’t been in Ellensburg in 15 years.  He’s been teaching in South Korea, and has a wife and two girls over there.  It was his vacation and he needed a validation of his diploma; a new ruling for teachers from foreign countries, particularly teachers of English.  They are trying to put their own folks into most of positions.  Interesting that his wife is a Korean, who teaches English.  Therefore, he has not learned the language as well as he might have.

Tuesday, May 29  Started out by catching Woody, one of our cats who already has been spayed.  They said that would not happen.  So much for experts!  I invited the Huckabays to go with me to lunch today, and John went on to Yakima to Costco.

Lunch was enjoyable but the price was NOT.  I didn’t pick the place; Huckabay did.  I don’t like eating there because they have weird things on the menu and charge TOO much for them.  A tuna salad sandwich cost me $7.95, and was mostly sprouts and grated carrots, with a little bag of awfully hard potato chips.  (Tim’s ?)  I bought Jeff’s lunch and it cost $9.95 !! for a French Dip Roast Beef sandwich (also with chips).  It was listed on the board as a Blue Plate special and I figured that was the “special, lower cost for the day,” but there was not a price listed.  I about died when I was given the total $20.51.  (He had coffee and I had water).  Rats.  If I had known he could have had a hot sandwich off the menu for the same price, but had soup or salad with it, instead of only a tiny bag of chips.  Go figure.  I’m back from the Dentist with a free temporary on the broken tooth, but it was cracked badly enough that I will need to have a porcelain crown.  It won’t  get done until I’m back from Georgia.

I meant to say about our tonight’s dinner.  On my way home from the dentist, I stopped by Carl Jrs and got two nice chicken/bacon/cheese sandwiches for $5.00 (coupon).  Also two yummy-looking tacos with chicken and beef (one of each), for a buck apiece.  That’s for John’s lunch tomorrow.  Then, I bought some cool crosscut fries for 1.29 (normally 2.19).  I had coupons for everything, meaning I couldn’t get my 20% Sr. discount.  After eating them, I decided I didn’t enjoy what I had and will not order that again.  I don’t know how John felt.  It was filling, and parts of the chicken in the sandwich were okay.  Carl’s has great biscuits (only on breakfast sandwiches), but other stuff seems to be more standard.

Wednesday, May 30   John asked me this morning when I was going to retire! (Officially, I did April 2010).  However, today I went in at 8:30 a.m. to 10:50 for hearing final project presentations for an Intermediate GIS class I taught for years.  I have been invited back every year since I was recuperating winter 2010 (for this class’s finals).  I help evaluate and ask questions and give compliments to the students.  Today only 3 were given and they were all excellently done.  I go back Friday for the last set of presentations.  After I left there I went to the grocery store for meds and half a piece of coffee cake (my late breakfast), and then on to play music and sing at the Soup Kitchen at the Food Bank (where I and a banjo player perform every Wed. from  noon to 12:30), and then they feed us.  Today was a great meal with baked potatoes and toppings plus a vegetable soup more like Brunswick Stew to me.  Then off to my exercise class at the Adult Activity Center, afterwards I went a 1/2 block to view an older fellow’s travel trailer which I hope to talk John into my getting for driving short distances to stay overnight for jam sessions.  Then I drove back to CWU to listen to a public talk by a candidate (last of 3) for the chair of geography.

Thursday, May 31 was a long, long day, and tomorrow will not be any better.  Today’s started about 6:00 when John came in to say we had not captured a cat.  Then I was tired and went back to sleep.  He awoke me at 7:30 saying it was time to call the vet to cancel the neutering.  I did, but I was not feeling ready to get up yet, had a neck ache and so I sat in my recliner and went back to sleep after the phone call.  John suggested I not put this in the blog, because people will think I’m mentally challenged, but it is a rather funny story, so I will share.  I went back to sleep and had a very realistic dream.  Guess the cat capture has been on my mind.  I dreamed very vividly that John went back out and brought back the kennel with two orange cats in it.  The one we wanted to catch plus Cashew.  I looked in the crate, talked to them, and then told John I needed to call the vet and see if they could still neuter one of the cats.  (I was still dreaming, but I apparently woke myself up when I reached for the phone, redialed the vet, and the line was busy).  I kept trying until they answered, and told them what happened and they said to bring them right in.  I got up to get dressed and walked down the hall, after looking on the top of the “cage” on the den table, and not seeing the cats .. saying to John .. (at the computer in the back room, “Where are the cats?)  Of course he was confused, and I realized it had not happened and was a dream.  Yes, I had to call the vet and tell them what happened and that we would not be arriving.  Hope you get a laugh from it.

I have been bargaining with a fellow in town on his travel trailer.   My friend Bill went to check it out after I had looked at it, because John and I do not have the knowledge.  He verified we could add an a/c unit to the top, and get a little (Honda recommended) generator to run it.

Tonight at 6:00 in the 3rd floor Dean Hall atrium was a nice GTU (Gamma Theta Upsilon) induction of new members.  This is the “club” I was chapter adviser for, for the time I was at CWU (starting a couple of years after I got there in 1988).  That CWU chapter had been around since 1963.

Friday, June 1  I went to the university for the rest of the final GIS project presentations, followed by Acupuncture, Potluck with tacos and fixings as main dishes at Adult activity center.  Home for a little rest, and then off with John in our ’89 Ford truck to buy the used travel trailer.  We got it home safely, but had trouble getting it backed into a good place at our house.  John pulled forward into our pasture and was trying to move the trailer backwards, into a graveled place in our “orchard” beside the garden.  He couldn’t see what he was doing (and I couldn’t give proper directions).  Then he turned it around in the pasture, pulled back up into the driveway, heading out, and backed up to the place in our front yard (gravel), and then pulled down off the driveway in front of the gates to the pasture.  Sadly, that revealed another problem with the scraping metal pieces (of the manual levelers, which hang down) on the rear end.  He had to build up the depression with a series of boards (like a bridge).  After he got that done, I volunteered to drive it and back up with his directions.  Part of the problem was I could not see the back of the trailer, just as he had found earlier.  Finally, I got situated to see it in my mirror, and could see to go straight by the Forsythia bush beside a black walnut tree.  He was calling directions until I got to where I could see the whole back of the trailer.  The movement of the trailer with turning the steering wheel is extremely sensitive and took some getting used to.  Got it positioned in front of our large shed, but it sticks way out with the truck attached.  We can get around it with both cars so I think we will be fine for a little while.

Another part of the frustration parking story was that John had tried seeing if it would fit in another place in our front yard between the front of the fenced “yard” and the line of Tamarack trees on the south of our house.  When he came in, I said, “Did you decide about the other place?”  To which he responded, “Yes, I have decided to get a divorce and move to an apartment in town.”  Luckily, we got it finally positioned properly.

We plan to hire our friend to help install the a/c.  Yesterday was very hot, and we were inside the trailer plus outside getting it hooked up, and it was totally obvious I cannot exist without a/c.  Also, John asked me this morning (after I suggested it last night), for me to ask our friend if he might be able to assist in moving a large (side) awning from our OLD motor home to this trailer.  Twenty years ago we spent $800 for it, and it is still in excellent condition; not used a lot, and never here in Ellensburg with the winds.  I don’t know if there is anything else that can be scrounged from that motor home or not.  It is a 1977 Pace Arrow, with a rotted out roof, and the motor doesn’t run.  It has a furnace, water heater, a/c, large Onan generator, and might have some other things that could be transferred.  I am not suggesting transferring the generator, because a small portable Honda will be perfect.

This travel trailer was missing the hose to hook up to the drain for the brown and gray water.  We definitely have one of those on the motor home.  In addition, the sliding plastic on the screen door of the travel trailer is missing half of it.  Ours on the motor home is in fine condition, so we could perhaps remove it from there.  I imagine there are other small things like that we could transfer.  I need to go step inside and review my memory.  We haven’t used it since the 1990s.  I have to get the paperwork processed Monday, because the tabs will expire that day!  Timely, eh.  Also, we need to replace the back right light because it doesn’t work for turn signal or for brakes and rear lights.  The previous owner was very helpful and generous with the tongue hook up.  He gave us his extension with a larger ball (than is on our one for the horse trailer).  Also, he gave us an extra fan (not sure for what it is to be used, but it’s a backup) and a spare tire, which had not come with the original.  He left all the stuff inside the closet, cabinets, and drawers, spreads on the beds, tools, and such.

I have been out on the web looking for a/c units and Honda generators.  The Honda portable generator is a cool idea, because we could also use it around our place, year-round.  I noticed that the few places I looked the cost for an a/c unit was $750-$900 but shipping would be $110 or so.  Sites do a poor job of explaining the differences versus the cost.  More busy work.  I imagine we might be able to buy a unit locally (or in Yakima) without the shipping charges.  The Honda generators are closer to $1000.  So, that’s the story of my new purchase (at a very reasonable price).  The seller came down considerably on his original advertised price.  I’m happy I looked at the bulletin board at our grocery store when I went in for my meds earlier.  Now I have a home-away-from home for over-night stays while at a music event.  The first one will be the end of July, a week-long workshop in Kittitas.  The next is a Bluegrass jam over at George (yeah, WA), in the community hall city park.  John doesn’t think we have any other need for it, because he cannot travel places with me, because of all the animals.  It wasn’t a good idea to pay to fix up a really old motor home whose roof is rotted out from leaking around the roof vent and a/c unit, and it would require motor work to repair a gasket that blew the last time we used it.  The tires (six of them) need replaced, but those on the travel trailer are practically new steel-belted radials.

Saturday, June 2  John has been busy with outside chores.  The wind is blowing but the temperatures are in the lower 70s.  His first concern was to empty the rain barrels and water his blueberries with the “distilled” water.  It rained a little overnight.  He wants to use rain water on the blueberry plants because the creek water is loaded with minerals that “buffer” the solution and make adjustmets difficult.  Blueberries need their soil a lot lower than pH 7 and rain is suitable – even though a bit rare in this location.  Aquarium owners face this problem and seem to discuss it in more common sense terms.  For example, here:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=94

This afternoon we are heading to a Geography Club end-of-year potluck a few miles from our place.  We are taking slices of the last of the large Honeycrisp apples.  They are in very good shape for having been harvested last October.  Two in the final box were over-the-hill and went to the compost pile.  Since John got them at Quincy during his pruning trips they have been individually wrapped in newspaper and stored in the fridge.  Prior to that they were in Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPOkWE7HKvk

The students are preparing the meat (large beef hot dogs, and Bratwurst), and it is a potluck for the rest of us.  I think John said we have 8 of them left, so we will cut and set up the dehydrator (4 fill it), and then take the rest with us to the party.  We completed that and all is well.  We are back, after spending three hours there, eating and visiting, and the stuff available was incredible, including fresh strawberries, a number of different salads, cooked chick thighs, on with savory sauce marinade and another with spicy jalapeno, grilled yellow peppers and purple onions, peach rhubarb cobbler, apple and cherry pies, and white/choc chocolate cookies.  Really a great amount of good food.  The wind was blowing but the sun was shining.  It was held at a faculty member’s house out in the country, only 5 miles from ours.

John came home and fed the cats, horses, and took the dogs for a run, while setting up irrigation.  I’m late getting this to him to post but at least we had enough to eat starting at 5:15 that we will not need any dinner for sure.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

Still on the Naneum Fan

 

Sunday, May 13  Happy Mother’s Day.  After morning chores around the place, we took a trip down the Yakima Canyon, to the Big Pines Campground, 32 miles away from our home.  We got there a little before 2:00, visited first, and then ate and then visited some more, before starting to play music.  I don’t know how long we played.  John just listened.  We had a bass player, banjo, 3 fiddlers, a Dobro, 3 guitars, and a mandolin.  Lots of fun.  We tried singing all Mama songs, but by the time it got to me, I couldn’t think of one, so I passed.  Then we went around again, and one guy did a cute Pig song and put on a false pig nose to sing it.  It was hilarious.  After that, I said, well if we want to do animal songs, I can do Froggy went A Courtin’ — and I did.  They got a kick out of that.  A fellow who plays a mean harmonica joined in on my song; the only one he played along on all afternoon.  I was thrilled.  The Dobro player came up to me afterwards and said she really liked that I sang it, because her dad used to bounce her on his knee and sing it to her.  The only difference is that I sing the Brothers’ Four 1961 version, and the traditional one by Burl Ives and others is the one most people know.

Okay, in the story above, I left out what was included in the potluck meal.  First, the lady (who plays the bass fiddle), was in front of hers and her husband’s trailer.  They had a grill going and cooked sirloin burgers for everyone!  They cut them in half because they were so large (the buns were not typical, but more like fat hoagies).  They had tomatoes, lettuce, and other stuff to put on them.  There was a dish of salmon dip to spread on crackers, and a spinach dip (which I cannot have–but love it), and asparagus which I also can’t eat, one guy brought a pan of boiled clams with a large cup of melted butter to dunk them in.  Wow.  Yum.  I only had one but should have had more.  Oh, and potato salad (store bought, but good).  On to desserts.  We took the Red Velvet and cream cheese frosted and filled cake that I bought yesterday at Costco, and we brought home half.  We both had a large piece down there.  In addition, someone fixed homemade cherry/rhubarb cobbler with the nicest crunchy topping I have ever had.  Even John commented on it.  That was about it, but we had a slow curvy trip home at 45 mph up the canyon.  It was gorgeous.

I’m sitting here in my recliner across from our caged two wild cats, and they have settled in to recover from their spaying experiences.  They are relaxed and full from a big meal they ate when we got home.  The yearling is sleeping on top of a box (the size for packages of copy-paper), and has curled around on her side, but with her head turned up.  She is “Woody” (we thought was a male), a long haired Mackerel tabby. John is fixing a place in the top of the haymow where they will have a shelf (loft), because he needs to start moving the hay out.  The cats have been on top of the stacked bales during the winter and until now.  They have eaten and slept there but made NO mess of any kind.  They are getting used to us being near them cleaning their litter box (which they had to learn, because they have been using the dirt in the pasture and around the house and barn).

Monday, May 14  I stayed home today to work on chores.  John, with frequent breaks and interruptions, has worked on the hayloft so the spayed females will still find a familiar place for being fed, watered, and housed.  While doing that, a wild turkey raced across the pasture about 50 yards away.  There didn’t seem to be a reason for the rush but the turkey thought so, and we’ll never know.  I have been working on the computer, most recently putting Froggy Went A Courtin’ into musical score.  It’s a good start in the key of G.  Realized I had to do that after working late last night on our play list for tunes for this coming Friday night, which you will read about later this week.  Yikes, I just looked at the temperature at the airport (5 miles south of us), and it is 88.  John is working in the shade, but it is very hot.  He had to take time to chase a neighbor’s horses back in the right place.  They had walked under a non-electrified fence such as that shown in this link.

http://www.bluehorizonfarm.com/horse/horse-photos/sm_Horses-Grazing-with-Electric-Tape-Fence.jpg

Well, we just spent a bunch of time getting the spayed cats from their cage in the den to exit onto the patio via the sliding glass door.  It didn’t go according to Hoyle.  We ended up having the oldest, Mama Sue, come out a hole beneath the side rather than out the door to a ramp, which led outside.  So much for planning.  John searched for her under the sofa, and finally found her under my recliner but once he got her out of there, again, she didn’t go out the back patio door but ran to the kitchen.  Finally, he found her in the washroom behind the dog food bag, and shooed her out of there.  This time she found the door to the outside.  Strategically placed boxes and other barriers helped her find her way.  Then we put the male cat, now calling him Cash, for Johnny Cash a boy named Sue, into the same cage where his sister and mom have been for a week.  He has more room than the dog crate he has been in, in the computer room, but he’s starting out by sleeping in the litter box, just as the girls did!

Well, how funny.  The girls came back to the patio door tonight.  I fed them some canned food, but we cannot keep doing that because the dogs will get it, and it will attract ants or bees, unless we have the dogs elsewhere (in the front yard).  Sue is the most persistent and is sitting by the back door meowing.  Perhaps they will soon find the new loft with hard food and water.  John worked most of the day finishing the loft, exercising dogs, moving horses, feeding animals, and other small chores.  He had some ice cream and berries and is heading to bed.  I’m not far behind, although I didn’t work nearly as hard today as he did.

Tuesday, May 15  After a very long night with totally interrupted sleep from an unhappy cat and even his wild sister coming in through the doggie door to visit, we managed to make it through to morning.  Male cat is very vocal.  We have to keep him closed up and not put him out for about 2 weeks from last Thursday, yikes, May 24.  Supposedly, neutered males still have the urge and may impregnate a receptive female that long after neutering (at least when they are as old as he is).  But our newly spayed females should be dismissive of his interests (the female’s attractiveness does not last long and their incisions should have closed).  My afternoon/evening was full.  Went by the bank, on to acupuncture, and then rushed to the grocery for beverages for John and Almond ‘milk’ for me, and on to play and sing music at The Connections (at a nursing home).

Home for dinner and just was talking to Little Sioux, caged in front of me.  He is a very light orange, and we had decided to call him Johnny Cash (for a boy named Sue).  However, tonight I called him Cashew, and he seems happy with that and rather looks like a little cashew, particularly when he curls up in his basket.

Wednesday, May 16  Good morning.  Wind blowing hard, but the horses are nibbling high grass in our backyard, for a half hour.  Cashew made it through the night pretty well, but still is quite vocal about his situation.  I finished organizing for this week’s music and am ready to head to EBRG to play music and eat at the food bank, with exercise afterwards.  John’s new guitar case was delivered today by UPS.  For the price it is nice.  It has a “Made in Canada” sticker on it, but it came here via Virginia — more traveled than we.  For the intended guitar, the case is just a bit large.  That is easily fixed with a fabric liner.  Now we have to keep tuning the new strings until they stabilize.  That may take awhile.  I don’t want John to have to worry with tuning in the workshop beginning class this summer.  (John says: I will!)  I don’t even want to buy a tuner (the kind you blow), because I’m not sure he could use it.  (Otherwise, I can walk and chew gum at the same time.)

We have no problem with UPS or FedEx finding us.  The only thing John was concerned about was being home if they decided not to leave it and then it would have to be picked up in Ellensburg, during their open hours.  So, he couldn’t work far down in the pasture, but spent all his time today, working in the garden, which is right off the driveway so he would know when the truck drove in.  I was in town from 11:20 till almost 3:00 and forgot to stop and get something to bring home for supper, as I was supposed to do.  I guess I had too much on my mind from the two events I had to attend.

Guess we will have a TV dinner for supper.  Our chili from the other night John froze today while I was in town, after he had some for lunch.  I ate at the Food Bank Soup Kitchen, where I played music.  It was good, a shepherd’s pie (mashed potatoes, meat, and peas), a salad with tomatoes mostly that I could eat, and celery, but I don’t like cucumbers, and they had nuts and Kale, but I cannot eat Kale while on Coumadin.  Then went on to the Sr. Center for my exercise class, and got a piece of banana nut bread there for dessert.

Thursday, May 17  Spent a lot of time this morning with my Finale SongWriter software.  I put in two songs for our group, and transposed them for the clarinet player.  We play the two songs in G and she has to play in A with a full note transferred “up.”  I came home, spent a bunch more time changing some of the notes on Froggy Went A Courtin’, and added the rest of the lyrics from the Brothers’ Four 1961 rendition of the old traditional song.  This morning, I also keyed in Ramblin’ Rose with all 3 verses.

Friday,  May 18  Today I’m off to see the wizard at CWU for scholarship luncheon (we are having Chinese salad with chicken, cabbage and mandarin oranges, bread, and brownie bits).  The salad was the same dish I returned to in 2010, the day I got out of the rehab.  Same location, same food and preparer, but I needed John’s help in, out of the car, support walking in, and getting up and down from the chair at the table.  Now I will drive myself and walk in on my own.  PHEW..  I’m happy to have come the  long way back.  Some things are still hard – like getting into a full sized pick-up truck.  John just got me a short step to help get me into the old Chevy, and drove me to the bottom end of the 7-acre pasture to see the work he has been doing on tree removal from the irrigation ditch.  It was a nice tour.

Finally, back home from lunch, exercise class, and got ready to go play music tonight at an RV rally, south of town at the RV park.  There were probably 40 people there for an ice cream social and to sing along with our group.  They really participated and enjoyed the old time music.  It was a lot of fun for us all.

Saturday, May 19  I went off again for music and late lunch at Briarwood Commons.  They served us potato soup, bread, corn muffins, salad, and dessert of a cake with a berry syrup to pour on top.  Only 5 of us showed up and fewer people in the audience from the usual, but a few joined in as the hour progressed.  They were very appreciative of our being there.  The weather is nice and the blowing winds of yesterday have subsided.  We found out last night that my “new” microphone wouldn’t work.  On my way into town today, I carried my microphone by to CWU Surplus and tried to talk them into replacing it with one that worked.  Unfortunately, all sales are final.  So, I dropped by Boogie Man (music store) to buy an electronic tuner for John’s guitar.  While there, I asked about microphones, and where I would take one to get it fixed.  Boogie Man said he could; that it might just be soldering a wire or two together.  I left it, after he told me it wouldn’t likely be more than $20 (a new one costs $45).  I have the heavy stand, and it works fine.  John fixed pizza, and we are ready to eat it.  Then he will go through and post this late tonight.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

Still on the Naneum Fan

 

Sunday, May 6  This was a quiet day, home alone, the two of us; John in the yard and me in the house much of the day.  Finally, late in the afternoon, I joined him to go see his work over the past day and today.  I knew he had been building fence sections with poles from aspen trees he cut down on the edge of the pasture between it and the riparian land.  He put them up for moving the horses into different parts of the acreage, as mentioned in last week’s blog, which was now just yesterday.  He walked me back to see the gate and clearing and another gate on the backside of our house (the west side that has a roaring creek right now).  He fixed it so the horses could drink from the edge of the creek, but not cross it to escape our property.  We actually own part of the opposite side of the creek, but it is not fenced.

I spent most of the day first on the computer, but then turned it off and started tackling the tables and counters in the den.  I made incredible progress, but I am by no means done.  In fact, if someone else besides John walked in, they would have no clue that anything had been organized, cleaned, or tossed.  That’s the way it will be for awhile until we truly make a dent in the build-up of several years.  I did find some bills needing paid, so I started a stack of those.  I received a few phone calls that took up a fair amount of time, but gave me a chance to get off my feet.

One of the early things I did was to search for a D string for John’s “new” guitar.  I checked our roll-top desk drawer where I had seen one in with our cards, recently, but it was an E string.  Then I looked in my own Garcia classical guitar case and found several strings, but the D only had the wrapper and the string was gone.  I was on the computer searching for strings and for a case for him.

I can pay my Costco bill on the web, so I’m ready to do that, after I put his and my driver’s licenses into the application for our horse trailer’s tag that expired in Feb.  We really haven’t needed to use it.  (I am looking over this on Saturday, and I don’t believe I ever did that.)  The trailer has become the parking garage for a used riding mower purchased last fall.

Monday, May 7  We had many things going on today.  Up at 6:30 to find we had captured two of the feral cats (one, the mother of the recent kitties); the other, a yearling we thought was male.  Woody turns out to be a female, and she was found to have pyometra.  Pyometra (pus filled uterus) is a serious and life-threatening infection.  I am happy we trapped her and got her to the vet when we did.  We set the traps last night, and first caught our inside/outside cat.  Then overnight we caught two, one in the barn where she had the kittens and the other in the haymow where the two yearlings have been eating.  We had to get them to the vet at 7:30 a.m., and then we went for breakfast (Carl’s Jr) for two sausage, cheese, egg, on biscuits.  Had a coupon for both for $1.88, which with tax was only $2.03.  That was a good deal.  I don’t know what the usual cost is.  We both were impressed with the biscuits.  They were as large as a hamburger bun and very tasty.  Then across the main N-S street and on to the grocery store and to the pharmacy to pick up my meds.  Home for awhile to take care of more chores.  Now we need to catch little Sioux (gender unknown but suspect a male).  “It” just came to the back door and talked to me through the glass patio door.  Yesterday John was throwing horse manure on the compost pile and that same cat talked to him.  (I hope it is a male).  Has the prettiest big yellow eyes like his mom.  We were supposed to call at 1:00 p.m. to see about picking up the cats.  I thought it would be around 2:30 and I needed John along with me to carry the crates and traps.  Turns out, they didn’t want us to come until 4:30.  We did, and carried in John’s guitar because a friend thought she had an old guitar case to give him.  She didn’t answer their phone, because they charged it but forgot to turn it back on.  We decided to go visit anyway, knowing they planned to be home after 1:00.  We picked up a Pizza Hut pizza using a coupon I had for a free large one.  We requested three different toppings on each half.  Had a nice visit but she had not been able to find the guitar case, so figured it must no longer be in her house, and perhaps she gave it back to her son.

Finally, we got home and set up the cats in their crates in the barn, with a bowl of water.  We cannot let either of them out for at least a week.  If they have sex, after the spay operation, it can be fatal, because of the sutures – that would likely burst open.  They still attract for several days.  We are going to figure out something in the house to keep them locked in, and that should also allow us to get to know them better and them us, all the while protecting them and giving us insight into how they are doing.

I have also been taking my Blood Pressure several times a day to give the record to my Cardiologist to combine with the information from my BMP (for electrolytes) lab test, to see if he can “up”  the Losartan dosage I’m taking to be closer to the clinical tests for good mortality.  I’m all in favor of that!!  He already increased my Metoprolol to a higher dosage to reach the same goal.

Tuesday, May 8  Rather amazing what John and I accomplished today in the den; cleaned everything (piled 3 ft high in places) off a very large sturdy wooden table.  He built a wood-frame structure with an opening to put in the litter box, and to clean it out.  Has a door to put the cats in and out of the enclosure.  In addition, he will cover it with chicken wire tomorrow.  Went to have foot care at 2:00; called about acupuncture; only got four appointments approved, and nothing heard yet about massage appointments that were previously denied.  Cancelled this week’s massage because I refuse to pay $60 / hr, regardless of how much it helps my shoulders and the scar tissue to reconnect the nerves treatment.  In the evening, I went with my neighbor back to town to hear a talk by our Attorney about “Getting your Affairs in Order,” which was about planning for your financial future (writing wills, living trusts, etc.).

Wednesday, May 9   John is finishing the cat motel.  Final part is a door for access with width and height just a bit larger than the plastic shipping crates we are using.  Now they have a piece of Aspen for sharpening claws, a wicker basket bed with towel and  cardboard box for hiding in or laying on.  We were successful in capturing Little Sioux (Woody’s brother, we think, unless she is also a female) who entered the trap sometime after a morning check.  John found him in the trap this afternoon, and we’ll take him in the morning.

I have been very busy too.  This morning I got up early and was at school at 8:05.  I handled Jennifer Hackett’s Intermediate GIS lab and gave them the lab, introduced it and myself and stayed with them from 8:30 until 10:50.  Long lab, but we all did fine.  I hadn’t been in that GIS lab in Dean Hall in 2.5 years.  My account was still there, so I could access the Internet during class while the students worked.  If they had questions, then I would go help.  It was a lot of fun for me!!  Although, I DO NOT want to be back there teaching anymore!

I left the University after the long lab and went directly to the Food Bank Soup Kitchen to play music.  After we played, they fed us a nice meal:  chicken breast parts wrapped in a great crunchy crust, asparagus (which I found is another veggie I like and cannot eat while on the medication, Coumadin.  With that was a slice of Brie cheese, some pasta salad, and a rhubarb cobbler for dessert.  I left off the ice cream.

Sue and Woody (shall we call her Woodee?) are in the house now, still in their dog crates, but on the table, and John is working on finishing putting up the sides and the sliding door.  We hope (& pray) they will get along together when we move them out of their crates.  I don’t know why they wouldn’t as they have co-existed a year in the haymow and cat house.  Sue is Woody’s mom.

Thursday, May 10  The last one IS AN orange male, now neutered.  We picked him up at the vet today at 3:15 p.m. and dropped off the 4 traps we have used over the past couple weeks.  The girls, Mama Sue and Woodee are resting together well, in their new environment.  They are in front of me as I work on my laptop in my lap from my recliner. Now they are sleeping, but they have an area about 5.5 by 3 feet with litter box, food, and water bowls, and a towel that occasionally they lay on, but just now they are side by side on the paper, which covers plastic.  So Little Sioux is a “Boy named Sue”  . . .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_Named_Sue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BJfDvSITY

. . . but seems not to have a mean thought in his handsome head.  Perhaps, we’ll call him Johnny Cash or just JC (jaysee). [BTW – the song came out the year we were married.]  At the moment Johnny Cash is in a large dog crate in the back computer room, where our big pc-tower with double monitors resides.  He has a very deep voice and continually tells us how unhappy and upset he is.  I wish he would calm down as well as the girls now have.  Finally finished taking my blood pressure and pulse for a week, and sent off the report (by email) to my Cardiologist’s nurse.

Friday, May 11  John’s building a fence out the back patio door to protect the raspberries, patio, and heat pump from the horses, for when he lets them into the back yard to “mow” the grass.  Heat pumps are costly and so are fresh raspberries (these are an old un-named red; new Yellow Anne planted this spring has one green leaf!). Unlike the Golden Currents (mentioned a few weeks ago) – horses will eat shoots of red raspberries.  I spent time this morning putting in my volunteer hours and mileage for the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) in Kittitas County.  I only recently joined, because they wanted me to report hours for their funding requests.  I had for April 256 miles and 11.5 hours of volunteering time (all music at different places around town).  Then went to exercise class and on to a volunteer appreciation at the Rehab place where I spent 2 months in 2010, recovering, with physical therapy to learn to walk again and get in and out of bed and a chair.  It was a nice celebration of thanks to many volunteers there at the Rehab.  Three members of our fiddlers & friends group went.  They provided make your own sundaes with toppings such as strawberries, walnuts, small Oreo cookie pieces, little colorful sweet things, and sauces (caramel & chocolate).  Then they gave each of us a flower pot of Celosia flowers (blooming), with a number on the bottom.  (John planted it in our planter in the front yard with the pansies and marigolds, and the frost last night, killed everything except the pansies.)  That number on the bottom of the plant container was for a raffle for the Tiger Lilies on the tables, and for a drawing for four baskets of goodies.  I didn’t win anything this time.  John drove into town and brought my violin, picked me up at the Rehab, and we drove down the Yakima Canyon to a Bluegrass Camp Out Jam Session that goes from Wed the 9th through Mother’s Day, located at the Big Pines Campground.  (It’s free until the season begins May 15.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5222/5613501525_d054bc6c2d_z.jpg

http://www.ycda.com/wp-content/gallery/visual-tour/6-yakima-river-canyon-cliffs.jpg

Our friends are camping there all the days in their RV.  I may go back tomorrow, but definitely will go back on Sunday when there is a potluck from 2:00 to 5:00.  I jammed with a few others for a little over an hour.  John listened and visited with my fiddling friend’s husband and their dog.  The other thing I honchoed this morning was finding a buyer for my friend’s truck.  That was my good deed for the day.

Saturday, May 12  John started the morning with feeding neighbor’s horses & bull, moving ours into the back yard where he built a fence yesterday already described, cleaned out all the litter boxes of the 3 feral cats, now in the house.  They are using them and eating food.  Then he took the dogs for a run, unfortunately one of the mutts returned smelling of skunk.  When the 4 dogs came back into the house I almost died from the scent.  It is incredibly overpowering.  John ushered them back to the front yard, and later sprayed all soiled parts of them with ‘409’ cleaner and took them to the irrigation ditch to wash off the oil.  I hope that that will work.

Then my day continued with a trip to town to fill a medications I had run out of. While there, I was considering going to the canyon for more jamming, and had taken my violin along.  Once through the pharmacy, I called my friend’s wife to see how he was proceeding from a probe yesterday into his lung to remove a wedge of a suspected cancerous nodule.  I am almost to Yakima at that end of the canyon, so figured I could drive to Costco for gasoline and get something for the potluck tomorrow, and come back by the hospital for a visit if he was willing.  He was and I visited almost an hour.  I lost track of time.  His attitude is good and he is looking well, but wants out of there ASAP.  On up the canyon to visit again with friends and their friends who had joined them.  I went over and joined a group with one Double Bass,

http://www.guitarrepairsuk.com/double_bass_on_bike.jpg

one mandolin, one guitar, and another fiddler.  We played for an hour, and I drove the 32 miles home.  John had cream-corn-corn-cake (aka corn pone or Johnny Cake)  –made with a can of cream style corn.  “Pone” apparently is a Powhatan word meaning bread from the area we now call Virginia.  This was to accompany chili.

http://www.andfam.net/kimblog/blogpix/pone.jpg

We cut up one of our large Honeycrisp apples to have along with it.  We only had a few slices each and that was a lot of apple!  And there is a lot left.  I’m late getting this to John to design for the blog and submit.  Most of you won’t likely see this until Mother’s Day or after.  So Happy Mother’s Day.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

Still on the Naneum Fan

 

Many exciting events this week:  music, school, friendship, kitties , & guitar

Sunday, Apr 29  This morning’s visit to the kitties found them on the opposite side of the room away from their water, food, and play area.  Also, found a large Vole in with them that apparently mama brought in.  After 12:30, we had a visit from a friend who is taking the last two.  She was quite pleased and had a tough time making a decision on one of the four males.  We don’t know yet if she will decide to take one with white like the female or one with completely different coloration so that they are easily distinguished.  I think the female is lighter orange, but with lots of white (feet, bib, tummy).  She’s taking both the female and a brother.  That’s nice that all the kitties will stay in our valley and have good homes.  We can keep up with them as they grow.  We are going to take those last two to deliver and will have chicken/rice dinner Thursday night with the family.  Three males go to their new home, Thursday.  Now we are concerned about trapping the mom.  We doubt we will have a chance once the kitties are gone.

I’ve been working off and on all day on the thesis that is being defended this Friday afternoon.  John told me I should not promise to be on any more committees.  It is stressful and time-consuming, and I’m no longer paid for my time.  We went out again and saw the kitties and they were all on the correct side of the straw bale barricade, with mom up top watching.  Wow.  I finally finished reading the thesis word for word, about my seventh draft to get to this final one.

Monday, Apr 30  Jeez.  I’m running late because I have to shower and get out of here.  We had a car not make the curve in front of our house and almost take out part of our fence, especially the timber & rock filled crib at the entrance to the driveway, and also in line with a utility pole and the mailbox.  John took me all around and we viewed the two sets of tire tracks and tried to figure out what happened.  We will never know.  We wrote a letter to the editor for the local newspaper describing it, and the two curves on our road that have been the source of many accidents from both directions, in clear weather, as well as the expected ice in winter.  Our neighbor and we are suggesting to Public Works that they make the signage better to alert people to the seriousness of rounding the curves at too high a speed, because of ending up in adjacent fields through fences and deep rocky ditches.

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/letter-naneum-road-could-make-it-into-record-books/article_7c292566-9498-11e1-b4cd-0019bb2963f4.html

John was really the author on the letter, but we signed it as John F. and Nancy B. Hultquist, and their rules are for only one author.  We didn’t realize this, and they must have just taken my name because it was sent from my email account.

Tuesday, May 1  Happy May Day!  Shall we go dance around the pole?  Actually, a visit to Yakima is in store for the (turned-out-to-be-full day).  We left before 9:30 a.m. and didn’t return until a few minutes after 4:00.  Ran in and threw the cobbler together to take to our friends’ turkey dinner tonight and to pick up John’s new/used 50-year old guitar.  My report at the device check was excellent as was my Cardiologist’s visit.  He took longer than ever with us today.  He said my ejection fraction was better than ever (37%).  It had gotten below 25%, and was still in the 25% range as recent as October 2011.  Those measurements come from Echocardiograms.  For a normal person the fraction is 55% or higher.  Here is an explanation and the source of that percentage:

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/heartfailure/ejectionfraction.aspx

There is a line in there – “Your EF can go up and down, based on your heart condition and the therapies that have been prescribed.”  And my unanswered question is what might have caused it to go up?  I just figured it meant it was healing, but apparently, the heart muscle does not heal.  Maybe there is strengthening throughout my cardiovascular system.  In a few days we’ll get a printed report from the cardiologist and if that still leaves questions I’ll write his nurse (e-mail).

Wednesday, May 2  Wednesday, busy morning and whole day full of activities, but thankfully not tonight.  Our neighbor fell and an old heavy TV set came down on his leg, so he called this morning and asked if we could feed the horses, which he had returned to feeding.  John went over in the car, but had to come back for the truck, because there was no hay out by the corrals, and he had to load it from the barn.  Then he took care of all the morning chores and started building a fence so he could let the horses out in our front “yard” and along the driveway where the fruit trees are (cherries mostly).  He had to put up barricades in just a few places to keep them out of certain areas.  Well, there is a gate at the end of the driveway, too.  I left about 11:20 to go to the food bank Soup Kitchen, to provide music and eat lunch.  It was rather salty (biscuits and gravy with sausage in the gravy) and scrambled eggs.  In addition, they served chocolate pudding made with whole milk that I couldn’t eat.  I grabbed some eggs and bread for our older neighbors.  Then off to my exercise class, and then to acupuncture.  It was a good time today with most of the work on my shoulders.  Then home and to visit the kitties again.  We haven’t eaten dinner yet, because I have been on the phone arranging for upcoming events for our music group.

Thursday, May 3  Today’s morning was full of crazy things about the house and barn, emailing, and worrying about the kitties, who were to go to their new homes tonight.  John was working in the pasture and came back by to see one of the kitties almost 5 feet up on a board ready to flee the barn.  Had there been one more day, we would likely have not kept them in without some additional chicken-coup type fencing.  Like this:

http://en.espritcabane.com/img/handmade/chicken-wire-painting.jpg

I went to town to play music at Royal Vista.  We had many conflicts with our players, and only ended up with 5 total.  We started the first 20 minutes with 3 of us and the other two straggled in.  I came home and don’t remember what I did, but we had to leave fairly soon, at 5:00 for dropping off the kitties at their new homes.  We had to get them into carrying crates.  Also set up a trap for the mom, but we failed to catch her.  Three kitties we dropped off at the first lady’s house, and in return, her son gave us a dozen eggs, of different colors.  The lady was not home from work yet.  We left and drove across the valley with the other two.  Up the hill from their house, we stopped and moved them from their crate to a box decorated with birthday paper John had made, with a towel in it, and a top made of the paper, to keep the kittens a secret for the 11-year-old girl whose birthday is in 10 days.  They invited us for dinner and we took the kitties with us.  John walked in and it was a TOTAL surprise to Jessica.  Her mom had cleaned out her closet, and bought a little bed and food and water bowls.  The kitties were shy at first and so the kids turned the box on its side leaving the towel in it, and put it beside the little bed.  Soon the kitties left for their box.  They also put a litter box at the entrance to the closet to somewhat close them in.  Dinner was wonderful:  Boneless chicken breasts baked in a great covering and sauce, rice, salad, bread, and pear pie for dessert.

Friday, May 4  A very, very long day.  I started about 7:00 a.m. when John went to feed the neighbors horses and to check to see if we had caught the mama cat overnight.  We hadn’t but she was still around the barn.  He went back at 7:30, and she was still around, but not in the trap, so I called and cancelled the appointment for her spay.  We postponed it until Monday morning, so we will feed her today and tomorrow, and hope to catch her Sunday night.  Then I left about 8:20 for the Board of Trustees meeting at the University, where the retiring Geography Chair was being honored with an Emeritus Professor award for his 18 years of service.  He is a year older than I am.  Then I stopped off downtown to meet and greet some of the members of the CWURA (retirement association for the university).  The first Friday of every month, they meet for coffee and whatever, at the Dakota Cafe.  I just sat and visited about 20 minutes.  Then off with John’s newly acquired guitar to visit my friend to get some advice about it.  He looked it over and thought it would be perfect for John (especially because the strings were so close to the frets and he won’t have to press as hard to get a good tone).  He tuned it and played a bit, and the D string (3rd lowest note), the smallest of the brass wrapped strings, broke.  He looked to see if he had a replacement, but he didn’t.  I am sure I have one and so I didn’t go by the music store to buy strings.  On to the first Friday of the month potluck (free) at the Senior Center (aka the Adult Activity Center or AAC).  They were fixing ham and scalloped potatoes for us, and I took some of John’s fancy Red Rome applesauce.  People brought veggies and salads and desserts.  It was quite a nice array of food.  After eating, I went to two of the garage sales being held today but found nothing to buy.  I was looking for a guitar case, for our new 50-year-old guitar because it hasn’t had one in its whole life.  Then back to the AAC for exercise class.  Only 11 of us there today.  Rushed from there to school for the thesis defense of the gal whose thesis-editing has been raising my blood pressure for, lo these, many months.  She did a nice job and she passed the defense.  Then off to celebrate with her and a couple of committee members, and her dad (from Wisconsin), and a bunch of her graduate student friends from when she was here taking classes.  Unlike our graduate school days, these folks have day jobs and the process drags on for years.  She’s been working on this research for 6 years, because she has had a full time job for 5 of those years.  The celebration was at The Tav, downtown.  It is always noisy, but they are known for their excellent burgers and lots of other good food.  I had a Texas burger (with fried onions, sautéed mushrooms, and BBQ sauce).  I asked for it to be cut in half (so I could take home 1/2 to John).  They brought me a nice sharp steak knife and I cut it myself.  We had a nice visit (oh, they started out with 3 appetizers we all shared:  battered deep fried green beans, battered deep fried mushrooms, and a large platter of Nachos with added Jalapenos.  Finally, I got out and headed for home at 8:05.  What a long day! However, a very nice one.  Once home, John and I debriefed, and I spent a lot of time on the jobs list sending because of being tied up the past two days and nights.  I had 12 job announcements to send out!  A neat story happened at 8:30 this morning when I had to get a pass to drive on campus to the place behind the building where the meeting was being held.  I was giving my information and name to the gal at the desk, and there was a guy there on the computer.  He heard my name and said, “Oh, are you the lady that puts out the Jobs List ?  He was on it and reading it right there as we spoke.  What a small world.  He is a graduating senior (Biology), and he has been on the list for over two years.  When I was in the ICU, friend Caitlin jumped in and ran the jobs list and he came on board then.  He has found several jobs to apply for, and was very grateful for my efforts.  He was as happy to meet me, as I was to meet him.

Part of the debriefing from John was about the new homes for the kittens.  We thought we had delivered 3 males to their new home together, but turns out a friend of the lady has a 79-year-old friend who just lost her cat, and wanted one of the 3.  Turns out, she picked out two, so one little guy is alone.  The other two (male and female) from the litter went to the new home together, where we had dinner Thursday night.  A call from them was that they (now named Soda & Dakota – maybe) were doing fine.

Saturday, May 5  I was so tired I slept in and took awhile to get going.  John has been clearing cans and bottles from the kitchen and already has done various other chores, fed our animals and the neighbors’.  He soon will be going out to move the horses around to get to the grassy areas in our yard and around the back of the house between the outside of our fenced backyard and the brushy area close to the creek. Fire-fuel suppression – he calls it.  Also, then he doesn’t have to mow.  The past 2 or 3 days, he has been releasing them out front and up toward the road.  I thought about going to garage sales today to look for a guitar case, but did not have the energy.  Today I must tackle the counters and tabletops.  I’ll finish this blog to get to John but he won’t have time to work on it until dark.  He’s actually in before dark, but has been working outside in 38 mph winds and is resting till supper time (about 15 minutes away).  I went out on the last run to the barn to feed mama cat, and to show the horses their new water tub.  With John closing them out of the bottom pasture, he needed to give them access to water.  Their normal winter trough with a heater is drained for the summer as it needs to be filled from the well.  For the time being we are trickling creek/irrigation water into and out of a cut off plastic barrel.  Tonight, I sent out 8 job announcement to the list, now up to 500 folks providing job leads and/or looking for a first or new job.  That’s worth a WOW!

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

still on the Naneum Fan

 

. . . another week, the same things – music, kittens, food, chores – only different.

Sunday, Apr 22  We didn’t have any away-from-home commitments today.  I sliced and diced the time on the computer, did a few chores and visited with the kitties.

Monday, Apr 23  Nothing much today either, but getting ready for tomorrow which will be a very full day.  This morning we went out again to play with the kitties, and I had spent time last night on the web reading several different explanations of how to determine young feline gender.  If I got it right (and I believe now at the end of the week, I did), we have 4 males and one female.  We carried a tennis ball and they sort of played with it.  Today I managed to make a replacement CD of my 50th h.s. reunion CD of music of the fifties.  Ours we use for our SAIL exercise class started sticking last week.  Now we have a new clean copy.  In addition, we visited with the kitties and also made arrangements for the kitties’ future and hopefully for trapping the mom and getting her spayed and vaccinated (the local Kittitas County Friends of Animals will pay all but $10 of the costs).  Now we have to capture her (and hopefully the two from last summer as well.  John’s done a lot of outside working including pruning two apple trees.  These were planted when the house was built (not us) and may have died back to a grafted root.  They have not produced much fruit and mostly have been ignored.  John pruned them severely last year and then a more standard version this week.  We don’t need them as we live in one of the World’s best apple regions.  Apples are plentiful and either cheap or free for the picking.  At the following site, put your cursor over the apple type to read about it:

http://www.bestapples.com/varieties/index.aspx

In an apple orchard there is a need for a different sort of apple for cross-pollination.  These are sometimes crab apples and not harvested but in the spring when the orchard is in bloom the contrasting colors tell of careful planning:

http://www.londonderryimages.com/Londonderry-Hometown-Online/Agrativities/Spring-2011-Blossom-Time/i-gHK38vC/1/M/A9FE3332-01-M.jpg

The following link explains how an apple orchard has to be configured for commercial production.  And may also explain why our trees have failed in their mission.

http://www.fruit-trees.org/pages/apple-trees/apple-pollination.php

So, back now to my tax things.  I have been communicating with former professor friends to see how they handle their professional expenses, once retired.

Tuesday, Apr 24  Started with a fasting blood draw and 1.5 hours of my time to drive to town, and wait to have 5 vials taken.  I will be anemic !.  Home to eat 1/2 each of a blackberry and cherry Danish pastry.  Back to town (with John) for lunch and a Massage at 2:30, and he went shopping during that time.  My shoulders were really worked over today and it relieved pain and gave me more range of motion.  I went in the evening to hear Jazz violinist, Christian Howes, free at the university, picking up my 86-yr. old friend Lois (who has macular degeneration, but loves to go to events, anytime).  We enjoyed ourselves immensely, but we were embarrassed at the turnout of community or CWU folks.  He played solo for the first 20 minutes or so, and then a group of students came and joined him on stage, as a Jazz Combo.  There was an awesome bass fiddler (who also later played a bass guitar), a fantastic drummer, a cool (and small) young man on guitar, and a young woman pianist.  They only had an hour together practicing in the afternoon.  It was simply amazing the improvisation and the music they delivered (with no music score).  Christian Howes was the star performer and commentator.  He played an electric violin, including classical music (Bach) — in his style, and of other composers.  He would record a background beat, then a channel on the fiddle, and then would play them both back, while he coordinated, sometimes harmonizing with the previously recorded music.  It was amazing and well done.  He is really talented.  He mostly played jazz, but included rock (such as the Beatles’ “Yesterday”), and he also does gospel, but didn’t tonight.  He came out in the front to speak to people on their way out.  I signed up on his email list, and he also had CDs for sale for $15, but as I stood there, he looked up at two students, saying, “special price to the students of $10.”  I left and went to my car, picked up a $20 bill and went back.   I asked if he had another CD, and he reached down in his backpack, and produced one.  I jokingly said, “I was your student tonight.”  Would you please give me the student price on these two?  Yes, he would.  So, I have “Heartfelt” and “Out of the Blue”.  Here are some links to follow to his talents; be sure to listen to the videos.  Now his hair is shorter, but I recognized him when I walked in the entrance to the concert hall, as he was taking flyers out for the entrance table.  He thanked us for coming, and I thanked him for coming to entertain us.  I think it surprised him that I knew who he was.

http://www.resonancerecords.org/release.php?cat=RCD-1016

Here is the best — A bunch of YouTube videos:

www.youtube.com/christianhowestube

One of them is a little girl (Camille) playing a conventional violin melody of Pachelbel’s Kanon with Chris doing a backup accompaniment on chords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmlnlfFtRxg&feature=autoplay&list=UU8F8hYmxpH3MvxCOb57wfbA&playnext=1

There are many more videos on a number of interesting topics to check out on the YouTube link.

Wednesday, Apr 25  Interesting day.  I visited the kittens both in the morning and afternoon.  Went to play music at the Soup Kitchen, Food Bank, and were video-taped while the two of us played and sang, “Five Foot Two.”  We had a large lunch—the menu included:  Large meatballs in a great sauce, served over a half of a hoagie roll, green bean/tomato/corn salad, slaw with dressing, and a fruit salad.  On our way out, Evelyn and I went out the back door through the bread room, where they encourage us to take lots of bread.  I found 5 loaves of my favorite English Muffin bread from Super One.  Twenty years ago it sold for 88¢ and now it is 198¢, so we only buy it on sale – a good sale.  Last week they had a special for $1.78; but that’s only a 10% discount.  Not good enough.  Apparently, that was the case for others as well, and they must have made too much.  They gave it to the Food Bank.  One’s date was April 24, and the others were the 25th and 26th.  We will start with the oldest and freeze the rest.  Boy, that was good pay for our music, plus we got a meal too.  Then I went on to my exercise class, and from there, on home to play with the kitties.  I spent time on the phone with a lady who wants 3 males.  She had searched all over town for orange kitties, and my neighbor told her we had several. Go figure.  Dinner was steak, potatoes and gravy.  Then raspberries and a chocolate donut for dessert with a little ice cream for me and more for John.

Thursday, Apr 26.  I went to town for music at Hearthstone, and John stayed home to work on fence posts and gate moving.  He checked on the kitties early morning and they were up on the bales of hay.  We went out in the afternoon, and two were way over on the top of straw bales.  We moved them down as it was kind of cold.  The other 3 were over in their nest.  They played awhile and went to potty in the hay on the floor.  Guess we need to take them a litter box.  John went back out right before dark, and 4 of them were two bales up, and the other was sitting on the lower bale, looking at John.  He put them all back in their nest and we hope they stay there to keep each other warm.  It is supposed to be cold tonight.  A heavy wind was blowing all day, highest gusts were 44 mph, and it made things really cold, even with the sunshine.  John fixed us a nice dinner:  pork roast with gravy and onions, peaches, and brown sugar-candied (marshmallow) yams.

Friday, Apr 27  Today started with a trip to school for a scholarship luncheon at the SURC (Student Union Recreation Center), and the parking lot was full.  Most people were there for a state competition for music ensembles.  We had salad and Foccia bread with interesting toppings, and brownies and lemon bars for dessert.  All came from an expensive bakery in town, called Vinman’s.  I went on to my exercise class and then home to relax before seeing and playing with the kitties.  The lady who is going to take 3 of the males came for a visit and was impressed and definitely will be giving them a home, possibly as early as next week, which we figure is their 6th week.  I took a couple of pictures and two videos and put them on YouTube.  I made a web page today and here’s the link: http://www.elixant.com/~nancyh/OrangeKittiesNaneumFan.html

Saturday, Apr 28  John’s going to cut up a couple of trees in our neighbor’s hay field.  Beavers cut them off and carried away the parts they wanted.  There ought to be a law of nature:  Cut all you want – take away all you cut.  No such luck – they leave the biggest and heaviest portions.  For me — nothing planned for today or this weekend, except a friend who wants one of the kittens is coming Sunday afternoon.  She spoke first so gets to pick.  We made a deal.  Pick one, get one free.  Oh, wait.  The first is free too.  I don’t know how anyone could choose.  They all are sweet and friendly, like being held and petted, play with each other, eat, drink, climb hay bales, and tussle with their siblings on the square of rug they now have.  This morning we added a litter box to their barn area, that increasingly they are climbing out of.  So we have homes for all five.  Now to keep from having additional cats, we have to capture momma and the 2 yearlings, Woody and Little Sioux.  I picked up 2  ‘live-traps’ from a local group and they will help with or arrange for things after that.  They take local unwanted cats to a neuter/spay clinic on the west side (aka the Seattle area).  Had we not found homes for the little ones they were going to take the kittiens to a west side no-kill shelter and find homes for them.  I just hope we can capture the three adults.  They will take care of all vet care and a rabies vaccination.  Our one bill for Rascal was $99 in 2010, and there was an earlier visit to the vet and the charges I no longer remember.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

still on the Naneum Fan

 

Sunday, Apr 15   I did not go to the bluegrass session at the Swauk Teanaway Grange. I thought it best to stay home to recover from my cold and work on taxes.  John and I took a walk at the end of the afternoon, and looked at and took pictures of Oregon Grape, an aspen, a pussy willow, and what is locally called Golden Currants.

http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/yellow%20enlarged%20photo%20pages/ribes%20aureum.htm

The Oregon Grape will have bunches of bright yellow flowers and very blue fruit. Stick the term “Oregon grape” into Bing or Google images-search.  The above link shows the yellow flowers of the Currant and its translucent golden fruit. These are one of the first plants to sport new leaves in the spring.

We then walked back around the barn and took pictures (too high up and far away) of the cottonwood…all the trees are blossoming.  Pretty neat.  Saw kitties and took pictures and a small movie.  Do you want to see?  Go here: http://www.elixant.com/~nancyh/BlossomingTreesOrangeKittensNaneumFan.html

Monday, Apr 16  Interesting day.  John left early for Yakima to have his Subaru serviced, and while there, he visited Costco, for gasoline and a few necessities for us and for the dogs and cats.  While he was gone, I finished printing off the tax returns. After getting his signature, I took the packet to the USPS to send certified mail to be sure it is delivered properly.

Had an interesting experience in acupuncture today.  They are trying something “new” to them (my two acupuncturists) that’s been around since the 1980s when a Japanese fellow invented the use of tape being taped in the back of the neck to work on shoulders.  While he was doing that, I asked if it would work on my scar (from the open-heart surgery), which is causing my shoulder problems with range of motion of my arms (and why I skip doing some of the SAIL exercises).  He looked it up and there was nothing written in the manual, but we decided to try it, so I’m taped on the front of my chest scar and the back of my neck.  I’m all ready for it to work.  The tape stays on for 4 days.

www.japaneseacupuncture.co.nz/treatments/acutaping/acutaping.html

http://www.lhasaoms.com/Acupressure_Taping-108-1782-page.html

Tuesday, Apr 17 John is gathering and holding horses for trimming by our farrier.  I’m going for an echocardiogram, to make ready for seeing my Cardiologist in a couple of weeks.  It went well, and I dropped by Bi-Mart for kitty canned food on sale.  Also got some chocolates marked down 75% (Easter bunnies candy).  Will turn around and go back to town for music at a nursing home.  I’m so happy to be done with the taxes I mailed yesterday, now to get caught up on the ones I need to enter, while it’s fresh in my mind.  John and I visited and played with and handled the five kitties.  We figure they are about 4 weeks old.

Wednesday, Apr 18  There is a free spring luncheon at the Adult Activity Center today, with BBQ Chicken and potato salad.  That’s at noon, and I’m skipping my play date at the Food Bank Soup Kitchen.  SAIL exercise class followed.  It was an awesome lunch.  I mentioned above the main menu, and the potato salad was very good so I brought the recipe home, also had several varieties of potato chips plus cheesecake and brownies for dessert.  I only had cheesecake, but I brought home two pieces of chocolate Bundt cake with a sugar glaze.  He’s eaten his already and I will have mine later.  We went out and visited with the kittens.  They are getting bolder and learning how to climb.  Before I left town, I went to Exercise class.  Now I’m tired but I slept better last night for 9 hours (best in many, many weeks).  Less coughing, so maybe I’m getting better again, finally.  Phew.

Thursday, Apr 19  Music today and an appreciation dinner for Volunteers in the community tonight.  We had Lasagna, salad, bread, and fabulous tables of desserts.  There were  few words said of thanks to all of us there (room was full and I didn’t count).  We had our group at one table, and there were 8 of us.  I imagine there were at least 20 tables total, maybe more.  There were many door prizes including the pot of pansies (centerpiece on all the tables).  I won a lovely basket: small potted flowers ready for planting, garden implements, and other equipment.  John kept the two tools, and I gave away the rest to a music/gardener friend with smaller hands than us.  There were work gloves (too small) and even a pad for kneeling in the garden, little metal pots, and all in a plastic basket with holes on the sides, and handles.  Must be for washing veggies, carrots or potatoes, before bringing in the house.

Friday, Apr 20  Another busy day.  John removed the rest of the tape on my back between my shoulders and I think I will not have that done again.  I had removed the tape on my front, and it was very painful, even using cream.  I may consider just putting one on the top of my arms where I occasionally have pain.  We fixed a very large Pineapple Downside-Up Cake in our 12″ iron skillet for the potluck tonight.  We even used our own-grown walnuts – roasted for 10 minutes.  We played with the kitties.  I made it to town in the afternoon for my SAIL exercise class and to pick up more meds.  Then at 5:20, we took off for the music group potluck.  We didn’t finish and get home till almost 10:30.  We had a lot of people there and a jam session following dinner (19 to eat, 14 to play, and 2 mid-session visitors).  Here is the menu.  Plenty of food, and oh, so good.  The line started with desserts (ours, and  homemade cookies), which we saved till the end.  A very large pizza (pineapple on top of two meats).  On to salads (green mixed with imitation crab meat and 3 dressings), fruit salad, a chicken/grape/walnut salad, a pea/cheese salad, bread sticks and rolls, sweet potato casserole, meatloaf (sausage & beef), scalloped potatoes, fried chicken, spaghetti w/meat, lemonade and coffee.

Saturday, Apr 21  Nothing today but yard work and housework, and getting this on the blog, plus creating the associated web page mentioned above.  Well, John did go check on the kitties and their expanded territory he fixed yesterday.  There is a tunnel between hay bales from their nest in the back room of the barn where they are protected from horses and dogs.  They have access to about a third of that room, contained, for now, with bales of straw.  They can climb out of their nest, up the short side of a hay bale and they do, but as of yet, they are only using the tunnel one way (back into the nest, but not from).  With five of them and momma in the nest they stay cozy warm.  Our outside temp was just 37 this AM but we have reached 70 this afternoon.  Maybe it will go to 77 on Sunday.  Almost warm.  About time.  But, by the middle of the coming week the forecast is for mid-to-high 50s with night time lows at about 35.  John has just put tomato seeds in little starter pots and sometime next month they may be ready for the garden.  This year he is trying “Box Car Willie” that can be found on this page:

http://homeharvestseeds.com/ferrymorsevegetablestomatoseeds.htm

and “Siberia” – a cool weather variety:

http://www.humeseeds.com/tmtosib.htm

. . . that is supposed to “set fruit at low night temperatures.”  Tomatoes mostly want the night temp to be above 55 degrees F.  The Siberian tomato is one of the heirloom tomato varieties (reportedly from Russia) and some claim it can set fruit in cool weather — as low as 38˚F.  Last year the Big Boy plants seemed to take forever.  The plants grew big and lush but fruit was late getting started.  If you want to try growing tomatoes, look here:

http://www.gardenguides.com/113627-tomato-plants-produce-tomatoes.html

That Russian source sounds suspicious because everyone says tomatoes came from South America – following the Spanish colonization.  Still, if it sets fruit in cold temperature, we’ll not worry about its name or its source.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

still on the Naneum Fan