2020 Life Logs, Day 279: From Oysters to Sculling
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 64, Low 57 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
I was so upset about my niece last night that I totally forgot to mention one of yesterday’s highlights in my log. On my way home from town late yesterday afternoon, I stopped by to visit with Karen Baranowski in the Taj Garage. The Baranowski’s newly floored and freshly cleaned garage has become the place to meet as the weather gets cooler. Peter went oystering over the weekend and when I was leaving, he asked if I would like some oysters.
I asked him to just give me two or three so that I could have them as an appetizer. When I got home, I put them on the grill and when the ‘lids’ popped, I put in a little garlic butter. They were delicious. Thank you, Peter.
Today I had a chiropractor and an orthopedic appointment to check out the problem I have been having with my left hip and leg. I assumed it was a result of my back issue, but I just wanted to make sure since it was my left knee that was replaced last year. I was assured all around that the knee replacement was fine as shown in the x-rays that were taken, and that, yes, it is a problem stemming from the herniated discs. Exercise, especially biking and religious morning stretching was prescribed, so I must get myself out on my bicycle every day. But at least all of that was the news that was expected—no bad news.
Then mid-afternoon I volunteered to take Sam to his sculling session. Sculling is when a rower uses two oars, or skulls, to pull a very thin-hulled boat or “shell” through the water. The long, narrow boat with two oars per rower is referred to as a scull, the oars can be called sculls, and the person rowing is also referred to as a sculler. You can scull with just one person in each boat or you can have a team in a boat and compete in crewing events. This was only Sam’s second session and he really loves it. Doing this requires a 45-minute drive to another 45-minute drive from Lake Wequaquet near Hyannis and a two-hour wait while he rows, so it is quite a time commitment. I hope Heather and Jed will choose to let me continue to help with the transport as I love watching the kids row while I spend time reading and being close to the water. So peaceful.
And right now, I need to seek opportunities for peacefulness in my life. While one niece is in hospice dying from cancer, I found out this afternoon that another niece, Jennifer, who was scheduled to have a kidney removed on October 14 due to cancer, was hospitalized this afternoon and is having emergency surgery tomorrow. The doctors discovered a tumor on her spine that needs to be removed immediately. That surgery is scheduled for 2 pm tomorrow afternoon. If my writing seems a bit scattered, please forgive. These are difficult times.
