by Judy Handley | Sep 1, 2021 | Cape Cod, USA |
2021 Life Logs, Day 244: Happy Anniversary to Good Friends
Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High Temp 72, Low Temp 65 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
This first day of September was overcast with periods of light rain until 10 pm tonight when it started raining with a vengeance. There is even thunder and lightening to make it more dramatic. But at least the worst of the rain held off until after a gathering of my dining-in group here at the cottage.
I had hoped for a sunny afternoon and had asked everyone to come at 4:30 so we could enjoy an outside summer dinner cooked on the grill. I’ve known for days that it was supposed to rain today, but I kept watching the weather and believed the heavy rain would begin after our dinner. But when it started drizzling this morning, I decided to grill the food before people arrived and eat inside. When they arrived, however, it was not raining and everyone decided to sit outside to have drinks and the special appetizers contributed by Peter and Karen Baranowski. It was fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on slices of baguette from the French bakery. Yum! The rain kept holding off, so we stayed outside for the delicious and beautiful salad brought by Bruce and Jane Woodin. Another yum. I figured we were pushing it, but the weather kept holding, so I served the marinated and grilled veggies, beef, and chicken on rice pilaf and the tasty corn casserole brought by Terry and Olivia outside as well. As we were finishing the dinner, it was starting to rain just a little and I saw a mosquito, so it was time to go inside for dessert.
On August 28, Olivia and Terry White celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. Then on August 29, Peter and Karen Baranowski celebrated their 50th. Midge Frieswyk volunteered to bring a special cake for dessert to honor the special occasion. Whole Foods makes a Chantilly cake that is really delicious, so Midge brought that to celebrate the anniversaries. It was a wonderful evening with friends.
by Judy Handley | Aug 26, 2021 | Cape Cod, USA |
2021 Life Logs, Day 238: Work and Play
Date: Thursday, August 26, 2021
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 87, Low Temp 71 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Jonah and Ollie did the work today and I did the playing. I picked J & O up at 10 am and they came to my house to do yard work. Jonah mowed Shirley’s yard while Ollie used the weed whacker to do some trimming in my yard. They had planned to switch jobs so Ollie could mow Andrew’s yard, but we ran out of time. I needed to get Ollie home so he could go to a playdate at Mullen Hall. This is his new school and he really only knows two kids who go there. One of the two is Simon who lives in his neighborhood. Today Simon and Ollie were going to play on the school grounds. Jonah had a playdate with his friend Kaiden. So, after dropping Ollie off, I took Jonah to Kaiden’s on my way to Midge Frieswyk’s. There I joined friends for lunch on Midge’s deck where I played away the afternoon eating good food and talking with friends. It was a great way to spend a beautiful summer afternoon.
by Judy Handley | Jun 24, 2021 | Cape Cod, USA |
2021 Life Logs, Day 175: Day at Sippewissett Marsh and Woodneck Beach
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2021
Weather: Sunny and Windy; High 73, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Camp Oma got an early start this morning, dictated by the tides. The Goldpebbles wanted to introduce Charlie, their new friend whose family now owns the home one away from the cottage, while the tide was going out and then during slack tide. They were adamant that this is best time to explore in the marsh. 
So, we arrived shortly after 11 am and spent the next four hours having a great time. For most of that time, it was really windy and I was sometimes chilly even though the sun was shining in a bright blue sky. 
The four boys tried skim boarding on the beach side and then moved into the marsh to catch critters. Near the end of our day, we moved back to the beach side for more skim boarding that somehow ended in a throwing sand at each other. We are going to have to review our summer beach rules, but they were having so much fun today that I just let a few things slip.
by Judy Handley | May 22, 2021 | Cape Cod, USA |
2021 Life Logs, Day 142: Writing, Kombucha, Soccer
Date: Saturday, May 22, 2021
Weather: Partly Sunny, Warm When the Sun Shined; High 67, Low, 59 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Not a lot to write about today. I continued writing this morning and around noon headed to Heather’s to check out her new batch of kombucha. I used to make kombucha and love it, but stopped drinking it thinking that maybe its acidic qualities were adding to my reflux issues. But last week Heather was interested in started making it and I said I would be glad to help get her started. Today we decanted the first batch and put it in bottles for the second fermentation . . . and started a second batch. By Tuesday or Wednesday, the first batch should be ready to drink.
I had a few minutes to watch their new kittens at play. They have moved from Heather and Jed’s bedroom into the living room and seem to be doing great. They are a constant source of entertainment and so very, very cute.
Sam had a soccer game this afternoon and I went to see him play. They did not have enough players for a real game, so the referee put on a jersey and played with them. Because it was not a competive game, the boys seemed to really enjoy that freedom. It was great to see them playing and laughing and talking at the same time.
I returned home and did more writing. Tomorrow morning I am going to focus on gardening. And in the afternoon I am going to a luncheon with my dining-in group. The high temp is supposed to be in the low 80’s. I do hope to fully enjoy the warmth.
by Judy Handley | Jun 4, 2020 | Cape Cod, USA |
2020 Life Logs, Day 155: Fabulous Afternoon at Menauhant Beach
Date: Thursday, June 4, 2020
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 79, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
What a fabulous afternoon I had at Menauhant Beach with the Goldpebbles. I spent my morning going on a walk with Shadow, visiting the chiropractor, and attending an hour-long Zoom physical therapy work out. After that it was 1 pm, and I headed over to the Goldstones to deliver things that had been left behind after last night’s visit. When I arrived I found that the boys were very interested in going to the beach. It was sunny and the warmest day we have had to date, so I immediately agreed. It took us a bit to gather all of the regular summer beach gear as this was really our first all afternoon outing. Yesterday we made an impromptu beach visit, so we just went. But for a full afternoon, we had to dig out the summer gear. Shovels, buckets, sun screen, swim shirts . . . we packed in my car and headed to my house to drop Shadow off (no dogs allowed on the beach this time of year), grab some lunch for me, get the beach bags with towels, pack some snacks, and get a couple of beach chairs. Sam mentioned that he would love to have a wet suit and I told him to go the closet and get out Granddad’s wet suit. Heather and Justin bought it for him as he had lost so much weight that his old one no longer fit him. I think he only wore it once. 
Sam was as shocked as I was that it fit him and it made him a very happy kiddo.
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When we arrived at the beach, we saw the parking lot was pretty full. At first Jonah said there was no way he was going on a beach with that many people. But Sam convinced him that we should park and take a look before making a decision to leave. The beach parking lots have been reduced in half by concrete barriers and I agreed with Sam that it was worth taking a look. Late yesterday when we went to the beach, there were only a few cars and the beach looked basically empty. With a full parking lot today, the beach was manageable. There were small groups of people spaced appropriately, but no one was sitting down close to the water. That is where we always set up ‘camp’. All three boys felt comfortable with that location, so the fun began. All three grabbed their googles and dove in. The water is still chilly, but Sam was warm in his wet suit. Ollie was okay with his swim shirt on, but Jonah, who is always cold anyway, needed his swim shirt that I had put in the wrong bag and left behind. But he was a trooper and spent some time in the water, but more time at the water’s edge digging to the middle of the earth and finding lots of ghost crabs. Sam stayed in the water for quite a long time, but then came ashore to help with the digging. Since he was old enough to hold a shovel, Sam has been a digger. He is bigger now, but he can still dig deep holes in the sand faster than anyone I have ever seen. We were at the beach for two and a half hours and time really flew by. I just sat in the sun, read my book, helped Jonah and Ollie order wet suits on Amazon, and thoroughly enjoyed watching the Goldpebbles play with abandon in the sand and water. Summer has begun.
by Judy Handley | Apr 12, 2020 | Cape Cod, USA |
2020 Life Logs, Day 103: Happy Easter
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2020
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 55 degrees, Low 51 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Easter Sunday didn’t go as planned. Last night I started having head cold symptoms. I know a runny nose is not a symptom of coronavirus, but right now any symptom can be a little scary. As the evening wore on, the runny nose got worse. I went to bed hoping it would be gone in the morning, but it was still with me. I had no fever but did cough twice last night, so I made the decision to once again self-quarantine and not be around the Goldstones until I figure out what is going on. If I exposed them to coronavirus, I could never forgive myself. I felt fine today, but did all the things you need to do just in case you get really sick. I made two different smoothies and put them in the frig and then I made broccoli potato soup and my favorite vegetable soup. I’ll eat some of both and put the rest in the freezer to have food in case I don’t feel like cooking. Then I put on my mask (thanks to my friend Karen Baranowski) and gloves and went over to Heather and Jed’s old house to wash my sheets. You certainly don’t want dirty sheets if you are too sick to get out of bed!
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To the left of the front door, Heather has a flower garden and this morning it looked like the perfect Easter greeting with yellow daffodils and pink and purple hyacinths. I left the old house and drove over to their new house to take the chicken we were going to fix for Easter dinner since I would not be eating dinner with them. I kept on the mask and gloves and got out of the car while Heather got in to get the chicken and some of the hanging clothes I packed in my car yesterday. Later in the afternoon, I returned so they could unload the rest of the clothes, but again I was in mask and gloves and kept a distance. By this time in the afternoon, I was pretty sure what I have is not a cold but an allergic reaction, but best to err on the side of caution. On Thursday I picked some daffodils and brought them inside to enjoy. I set them on rolling cart right next to where I work on my computer at the dining table. I don’t have an allergy to flowers that I know of, but I do remember having a similar experience when I put some chrysanthemums on the table near my computer a year or so ago. I threw out the daffodils and seem to be getting better.
What I have might just be a cold or maybe an allergy to the pollen from the flowers or I guess it could be THE virus none of us wants of speak of. Let’s hope that is not the case. Whatever, it did change my plans for today. I didn’t get to see the Goldpebbles on their morning Easter egg hunt and I didn’t get to have dinner with them, but I did get to see each of them from a safe distance during the day. 
I had a Skype call with Justin and family and got to watch as Justin sent Ziggy and Coco outside with clues to find another egg. And tonight I talked with my friend Lynne Kirwin in New Zealand. Due to the threat of the virus, she now thinks she won’t be coming home until June. After talking to Lynne, I had a piece of a delicious fruit tart that new neighbors had brought to H & J’s new house as a welcoming gift. It was not only beautiful, it was delicious. So, my Easter was scaled down a bit, but still a good day.
I had hoped for a sunny afternoon and had asked everyone to come at 4:30 so we could enjoy an outside summer dinner cooked on the grill. I’ve known for days that it was supposed to rain today, but I kept watching the weather and believed the heavy rain would begin after our dinner. But when it started drizzling this morning, I decided to grill the food before people arrived and eat inside. When they arrived, however, it was not raining and everyone decided to sit outside to have drinks and the special appetizers contributed by Peter and Karen Baranowski. It was fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on slices of baguette from the French bakery. Yum! The rain kept holding off, so we stayed outside for the delicious and beautiful salad brought by Bruce and Jane Woodin. Another yum. I figured we were pushing it, but the weather kept holding, so I served the marinated and grilled veggies, beef, and chicken on rice pilaf and the tasty corn casserole brought by Terry and Olivia outside as well. As we were finishing the dinner, it was starting to rain just a little and I saw a mosquito, so it was time to go inside for dessert.
On August 28, Olivia and Terry White celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. Then on August 29, Peter and Karen Baranowski celebrated their 50th. Midge Frieswyk volunteered to bring a special cake for dessert to honor the special occasion. Whole Foods makes a Chantilly cake that is really delicious, so Midge brought that to celebrate the anniversaries. It was a wonderful evening with friends.
