2018 Life Logs, Day 286—Thinking Ahead
Date: Saturday, October 13, 2018
Weather: Overcast, Cool, Intermittent Rain, Clearing Mid-Afternoon; High 52, Low 42 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Exercise, move the fish tank, get hair trimmed, go see a movie, spend some time thinking ahead . . . that was my day. It was the coolest day we’ve had this this fall with a daytime high of 52 degrees F and not a hint of sunshine until after 3 pm. When I sent a text to my friend Lynne Kirwin to check in on how Ed is doing, I mentioned the cool weather but added that I was sure we would have another warm spell. She was not encouraging. She told me to face it, summer is over. True, but I will not give up yet! Exercise was easy and moving the fish tank went more smoothly than I expected. Last week Ollie and I had put the new fish tank on top of a half-height book case, but there were three problems with that. Even with a second board cut and put under the aquarium, in one week quite a sag was developing. The second problem was that the reinforcing board we used was particle board and somehow it was getting damp. The aquarium is definitely not leaking, but dampness and particle board just don’t go together. The third problem is that after setting up the aquarium, Ollie decided that he would like it down lower so he could sometimes put Lego structures in for the fish to play with. For instance, he might want to take out the castle we bought and put in a Lego underwater research vessel with divers, and of course, sharks.
The aquarium is now on a shelving unit with a metal frame, so sagging and moisture shouldn’t be an issue. Ollie hasn’t seen the new location, but hopefully it will please him. In the afternoon, I drove into town to get my hair trimmed and to go see a movie. I couldn’t decide which I would rather see—First Man or A Star is Born. I knew one started at 3:15 and the other at 4:15, but couldn’t remember which was which. The hair trim went faster than expected and I arrived at 3:20 in time to see . . . First Man featuring the story of Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the surface of the moon. I think my favorite movie of all time is The Right Stuff (1983) about the original Mercury 7 astronauts. I have always had a fascination for astronauts and space travel and this movie didn’t disappoint. In between these activities, I spent a good deal of time thinking ahead to my schedule for the winter. I focused on researching dates and times for local events I want to include in my calendar as well as thinking about out-of-town trips I might want o take. I am seriously considering having knee surgery done in late February as the surgeon has a cancellation and can do my surgery on February 25th. I don’t have to make a final decision until I meet with him on January 9, but at this point, I am thinking that I will go ahead with this. I researched flights to Nevis-St. Kitts in mid-January to meet up with Windbird, and I am still trying to find the best time to fly to Nashville to visit with my sister and brother-in-law. My brother-in-law, Joe, seems to have one medical issue right after another, so I’m sure my sister could use a little distraction. Much to think about and do.
