Sunday, May 27\u00a0 Today is a quiet day at home.\u00a0 John carved a path to the living room to watch a DVD on horses that our friends from Yakima thought we would appreciate.\u00a0 He moved 8 boxes and has given me instructions to clean up at least one a day.\u00a0 (I have already failed this week; adding this on Saturday).\u00a0 The movie is called “Buck” and is the story about a horse trainer named Buck Branaman.\u00a0 Years ago (18 or so) John took his horse Teak through one of Buck’s clinics here on the outskirts of Ellensburg.\u00a0 Our player did not work (starting and stopping erratically; perhaps a dust overload), and we saw only about 10 minutes of the movie.\u00a0 Something else to fix or replace.\u00a0 Today, it started out sunny and windy.\u00a0 The temperatures are expected to go to 70, but the gusts last hour (when John was exercising the dogs) went to 41.\u00a0 Glad I’m not out trying to play music in the park for Memorial Day.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Later that day here, there were 43 mph gusts, and sustained winds all day were about 30 mph.\u00a0 The City turned on sprinklers in a park and the the National Weather Service declared a severe extra-tropical cyclone.\u00a0 Just kidding.<\/p>\n
John found a nice listing of Vitamin K content of foods I should OMIT.\u00a0 Follows, a list of those (most of which I knew):\u00a0 kale, collards, spinach, turnip, beet, dandelion, or mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spring onions or scallions, parsley, asparagus, sauerkraut, endive, or green leaf lettuce.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I stayed in the house doing chores needing done.\u00a0 Cleaned the kitchen and have been sorting through things on the counters, and filing, paying, tossing, or whatever is required.\u00a0 I need to clean up and sort through a box\/day and keep at it.\u00a0 This long weekend I have to do more than that.\u00a0 Every room is piled high and there is no flat space anywhere.\u00a0 We said we would do that over a year ago, but I didn’t have the stamina.\u00a0 I might have it now.\u00a0 Now I have to change my attitude and do something!\u00a0 I did manage to tune his guitar and show him how.\u00a0 He is getting ready to go out for a while.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 If it is too windy, he’ll move to another chore where there is less dust.\u00a0 For sure, he will not be near the cottonwood trees because large limbs (or entire trees) fall in this situation.\u00a0 The horses are smart enough to stay away as well.<\/p>\n
Holy mackerel.\u00a0 John went back outside to work, and there are now 32 mph sustained winds with 43 MPH GUSTS.<\/p>\n
I did locate enough white cardboard mailers I once bought to mail membership certificates to GTU members.\u00a0 GTU is Gamma Theta Upsilon, an international geographical honorary society.\u00a0 I’m invited to the initiation ceremony this week at CWU Thursday night with dinner.\u00a0 That will be nice.\u00a0 When I was there, I was the chapter adviser.\u00a0 I’m happy it is continuing in my absence.<\/p>\n
John and I are having a late dinner tonight, because the pork roast was put in late.\u00a0 Boy was it ever good!\u00a0 John cooked it slowly and with onions and cherries (two kinds from our orchard, which had been frozen).\u00a0 He fixed lima beans (that I can have, even though they are green), and we had one of his large biscuits.\u00a0 Our inside\/outside cat was thrilled to eat some of the pork roast.<\/p>\n
Monday, May 28\u00a0 Happy Memorial Day.\u00a0 My dad was a veteran, and I’m proud of him.\u00a0 John took two flags and put them at the end of our driveway.\u00a0 We mostly did chores all day.\u00a0 I went through a couple of boxes of papers left over from over 40 years of teaching.\u00a0 Am recycling most, but also giving some books to colleagues or donating to the Map Library and Gov’t Documents Depository.\u00a0 It is such a time-consuming chore.<\/p>\n
John set up the trap to again try to capture the last kitty from near the camper where he’s been sleeping.\u00a0 Tomorrow is another day, with a luncheon engagement with a former student who hasn’t been in Ellensburg in 15 years.\u00a0 He’s been teaching in South Korea, and has a wife and two girls over there.\u00a0 It was his vacation and he needed a validation of his diploma; a new ruling for teachers from foreign countries, particularly teachers of English.\u00a0 They are trying to put their own folks into most of positions.\u00a0 Interesting that his wife is a Korean, who teaches English.\u00a0 Therefore, he has not learned the language as well as he might have.<\/p>\n
Tuesday, May 29\u00a0 Started out by catching Woody, one of our cats who already has been spayed.\u00a0 They said that would not happen.\u00a0 So much for experts!\u00a0 I invited the Huckabays to go with me to lunch today, and John went on to Yakima to Costco.<\/p>\n
Lunch was enjoyable but the price was NOT.\u00a0 I didn’t pick the place; Huckabay did. \u00a0I don’t like eating there because they have weird things on the menu and charge TOO much for them. \u00a0A tuna salad sandwich cost me $7.95, and was mostly\u00a0sprouts\u00a0and grated carrots, with a little bag of awfully hard potato chips.\u00a0 (Tim’s ?) \u00a0I bought Jeff’s lunch and it cost $9.95 !! for a French Dip Roast Beef sandwich (also with chips). \u00a0It 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. \u00a0I about died when I was given the total $20.51.\u00a0 (He had coffee and I had water).\u00a0 Rats. \u00a0If 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. \u00a0Go figure.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 It won’t \u00a0get done until I’m back from Georgia.<\/p>\n
I meant to say about our tonight’s dinner.\u00a0 On my way home from the dentist, I stopped by Carl Jrs and got two nice chicken\/bacon\/cheese sandwiches for $5.00 (coupon).\u00a0 Also two yummy-looking tacos with chicken and beef (one of each), for a buck apiece.\u00a0 That’s for John’s lunch tomorrow.\u00a0 Then, I bought some cool crosscut fries for 1.29 (normally 2.19).\u00a0 I had coupons for everything, meaning I couldn’t get my 20% Sr. discount.\u00a0 After eating them, I decided I didn’t enjoy what I had and will not order that again.\u00a0 I don’t know how John felt.\u00a0 It was filling, and parts of the chicken in the sandwich were okay.\u00a0 Carl\u2019s has great biscuits (only on breakfast sandwiches), but other stuff seems to be more standard.<\/p>\n
Wednesday, May 30\u00a0\u00a0 John asked me this morning when I was going to retire! (Officially, I did April 2010). \u00a0However, 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. \u00a0I have been invited back every year since I was recuperating winter 2010 (for this class’s finals). \u00a0I help evaluate and ask questions and give compliments to the students. \u00a0Today only 3 were given and they were all excellently done. \u00a0I go back Friday for the last set of presentations.\u00a0 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 \u00a0noon to 12:30), and then they feed us. \u00a0Today was a great meal with baked potatoes and toppings plus a vegetable soup more like Brunswick Stew to me.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Then I drove back to CWU to listen to a public talk by a candidate (last of 3) for the chair of geography.<\/p>\n
Thursday, May 31 was a long, long day, and tomorrow will not be any better.\u00a0 Today’s started about 6:00 when John came in to say we had not captured a cat.\u00a0 Then I was tired and went back to sleep.\u00a0 He awoke me at 7:30 saying it was time to call the vet to cancel the neutering.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I went back to sleep and had a very realistic dream.\u00a0 Guess the cat capture has been on my mind.\u00a0 I dreamed very vividly that John went back out and brought back the kennel with two orange cats in it.\u00a0 The one we wanted to catch plus Cashew.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 (I was still dreaming, but I apparently woke myself up when I reached for the phone, redialed the vet, and the line was busy).\u00a0 I kept trying until they answered, and told them what happened and they said to bring them right in.\u00a0 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?)\u00a0 Of course he was confused, and I realized it had not happened and was a dream.\u00a0 Yes, I had to call the vet and tell them what happened and that we would not be arriving.\u00a0 Hope you get a laugh from it.<\/p>\n
I have been bargaining with a fellow in town on his travel trailer.\u00a0 \u00a0My friend Bill went to check it out after I had looked at it, because John and I do not have the knowledge.\u00a0 He verified we could add an a\/c unit to the top, and get a little (Honda recommended) generator to run it.<\/p>\n
Tonight at 6:00 in the 3rd floor Dean Hall atrium was a nice GTU (Gamma Theta Upsilon) induction of new members.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 That CWU chapter had been around since 1963. <\/strong><\/p>\n Friday, June 1\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Home for a little rest, and then off with John in our ’89 Ford truck to buy the used travel trailer.\u00a0 We got it home safely, but had trouble getting it backed into a good place at our house.\u00a0 John pulled forward into our pasture and was trying to move the trailer backwards, into a graveled place in our “orchard” beside the garden.\u00a0 He couldn’t see what he was doing (and I couldn’t give proper directions). \u00a0Then 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.\u00a0 Sadly, that revealed another problem with the scraping metal pieces (of the manual levelers, which hang down) on the rear end.\u00a0 He had to build up the depression with a series of boards (like a bridge).\u00a0 After he got that done, I volunteered to drive it and back up with his directions.\u00a0 Part of the problem was I could not see the back of the trailer, just as he had found earlier.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He was calling directions until I got to where I could see the whole back of the trailer.\u00a0 The movement of the trailer with turning the steering wheel is extremely sensitive and took some getting used to.\u00a0 Got it positioned in front of our large shed, but it sticks way out with the truck attached.\u00a0 We can get around it with both cars so I think we will be fine for a little while.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 When he came in, I said, “Did you decide about the other place?”\u00a0 To which he responded, “Yes, I have decided to get a divorce and move to an apartment in town.”\u00a0 Luckily, we got it finally positioned properly.<\/p>\n We plan to hire our friend to help install the a\/c.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I don’t know if there is anything else that can be scrounged from that motor home or not.\u00a0 It is a 1977 Pace Arrow, with a rotted out roof, and the motor doesn’t run.\u00a0 It has a furnace, water heater, a\/c, large Onan generator, and might have some other things that could be transferred.\u00a0 I am not suggesting transferring the generator, because a small portable Honda will be perfect.<\/p>\n This travel trailer was missing the hose to hook up to the drain for the brown and gray water.\u00a0 We definitely have one of those on the motor home.\u00a0 In addition, the sliding plastic on the screen door of the travel trailer is missing half of it.\u00a0 Ours on the motor home is in fine condition, so we could perhaps remove it from there.\u00a0 I imagine there are other small things like that we could transfer.\u00a0 I need to go step inside and review my memory.\u00a0 We haven’t used it since the 1990s.\u00a0 I have to get the paperwork processed Monday, because the tabs will expire that day!\u00a0 Timely, eh.\u00a0 Also, we need to replace the back right light because it doesn’t work for turn signal or for brakes and rear lights.\u00a0 The previous owner was very helpful and generous with the tongue hook up.\u00a0 He gave us his extension with a larger ball (than is on our one for the horse trailer).\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He left all the stuff inside the closet, cabinets, and drawers, spreads on the beds, tools, and such.<\/p>\n I have been out on the web looking for a\/c units and Honda generators.\u00a0 The Honda portable generator is a cool idea, because we could also use it around our place, year-round.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Sites do a poor job of explaining the differences versus the cost.\u00a0 More busy work.\u00a0 I imagine we might be able to buy a unit locally (or in Yakima) without the shipping charges.\u00a0 The Honda generators are closer to $1000.\u00a0 So, that’s the story of my new purchase (at a very reasonable price).\u00a0 The seller came down considerably on his original advertised price.\u00a0 I’m happy I looked at the bulletin board at our grocery store when I went in for my meds earlier.\u00a0 Now I have a home-away-from home for over-night stays while at a music event.\u00a0 The first one will be the end of July, a week-long workshop in Kittitas.\u00a0 The next is a Bluegrass jam over at George (yeah, WA), in the community hall city park.\u00a0 John doesn’t think we have any other need for it, because he cannot travel places with me, because of all the animals.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The tires (six of them) need replaced, but those on the travel trailer are practically new steel-belted radials.<\/p>\n Saturday, June 2\u00a0 John has been busy with outside chores.\u00a0 The wind is blowing but the temperatures are in the lower 70s.\u00a0 His first concern was to empty the rain barrels and water his blueberries with the “distilled” water.\u00a0 It rained a little overnight.\u00a0 He wants to use rain water on the blueberry plants because the creek water is loaded with minerals that \u201cbuffer\u201d the solution and make adjustmets difficult.\u00a0 Blueberries need their soil a lot lower than pH 7 and rain is suitable \u2013 even though a bit rare in this location. \u00a0Aquarium owners face this problem and seem to discuss it in more common sense terms.\u00a0 For example, here:<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.liveaquaria.com\/general\/general.cfm?general_pagesid=94<\/a><\/p>\n This afternoon we are heading to a Geography Club end-of-year potluck a few miles from our place.\u00a0 We are taking slices of the last of the large Honeycrisp apples.\u00a0 They are in very good shape for having been harvested last October.\u00a0 Two in the final box were over-the-hill and went to the compost pile. \u00a0Since John got them at Quincy during his pruning trips they have been individually wrapped in newspaper and stored in the fridge.\u00a0 Prior to that they were in Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage.<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VPOkWE7HKvk<\/a><\/p>\n The students are preparing the meat (large beef hot dogs, and Bratwurst), and it is a potluck for the rest of us.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We completed that and all is well.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Really a great amount of good food.\u00a0 The wind was blowing but the sun was shining.\u00a0 It was held at a faculty member’s house out in the country, only 5 miles from ours.<\/p>\n John came home and fed the cats, horses, and took the dogs for a run, while setting up irrigation.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n Hope your week was a good one.<\/p>\n Nancy and John<\/p>\n Still on the Naneum Fan<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sunday, May 27\u00a0 Today is a quiet day at home.\u00a0 John carved a path to the living room to watch a DVD on horses that our friends from Yakima thought we would appreciate.\u00a0 He moved 8 boxes and has given me instructions to clean up at least one a day.\u00a0 (I have already failed this … Continue reading “Celebrations of all 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