2026 Life Logs, Day 21: Happy 19th Birthday to Sam
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Weather: Temperature Rising; High Temp 40, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

Today started out in the teens and slowly, slowly, the temperature kept rising. Right now at 11 o’clock at night it is 40 degrees out and will stay that way until morning. Tomorrow we will have a sunny, warm day in the 40’s. On Friday, we’ll be back in the 30’s. And on Saturday we will be in the teens. Then we stay in the teens and 20’s for a few days with a foot of snow forecast for Sunday going into Monday. My goal tomorrow is to put sand on the driveway which is a sheet of ice right now. I’m hoping the warmer temps and the sunshine tomorrow will melt the ice. I had dinner with Heather and family tonight, and when I got home, I discovered that Jed had put a tube of sand in my trunk. Thank you, Jed!

I spent my day working on Encore business. I am on the Nominating Committee seeking out new members for next year’s Board. But in the late afternoon, I took a break to have lunch and catch up on the news. Bad idea. I spent the rest of the day completely dumb founded after hearing what our dictator president said in front of the world in Davos. It is enough to make a sane person honestly think they are crazy. The misrepresentation of history, the disrespect for our allies, the confusion of not knowing the difference between Greenland and Iceland, the distortion of truth on every front. Ugly, ugly, ugly. It is almost more than a sane person can believe is actually happening. In what kind of world do we accept such behavior from a world leader? Sorry. I try to keep my rants to myself. But today was just too much.

On a much brighter note, nineteen years ago, on a cold and snowy Sunday, Samuel Ellery Goldstone came into this world. Sam is in the middle of finals, but he and two other friends with birthdays this week are planning a birthday celebration this weekend. Happy birthday, Sam!

2026 Life Logs, Day 18: It’s Snowing
Date: Sunday, January 18, 2026
Weather: Overcast with Rain, Turning to Snow; High Temp 47, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

Shadow and I slept in this morning and then I spent nine straight hours NOT focused on things I had to do, but just on what I wanted to do. It is the first time since early in December that I can remember having a day without time sensitive things I needed to do hanging over my head. Of course, I still have a badly neglected personal ‘to do’ list, but the ‘have to get it done in the next two hours’ list is non-existent today. It felt wonderful to just sit and do nothing for a change. But as evening approached, I did get on my computer to write some emails that needed to be sent out on Friday past. At least I am only a couple of days behind!

The morning was overcast and rainy today, but sometime in the afternoon, I looked outside and the ground was turning white.

It is still snowing and is supposed to snow all night, but the accumulation is only forecast to be between 2 and 5 inches. Shadow and I will have to get up early tomorrow to shovel our way out to play in the snow. I am attending a breakfast in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. at 9 am. It is less than a half mile away, so it will probably be easier to walk than to get the car shoveled off. I am looking forward to spending the morning honoring MLK. So much of my time in the past few months was focused on the Nonviolence in Action film series and tomorrow morning’s event will give me the time to reflect on what I learned and give thanks to Dr. King and all of the people, past and present, who believe in the power of nonviolence.

2026 Life Logs, Day 17: Mishap at Sunday River
Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026
Weather: Sunny AM, Turning Cloudy; High Temp 47, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

My activities today started by taking my car in for an oil change and tire rotation. But the rotation didn’t happen as there was not enough tread on the front tires to bother. So, I ended up with four new tires. The B-O-A-T acronym came to mind—Break Out Another Thousand. This time it was a car, not a boat, but same, same.

Then it was on to the Green for the Saturday rally. The weather was mild today. We had about 150 people attend and a few dogs tagged along as well. Dogs for peaceful resistance!

I had planned to go home afterwards and just relax, but when I looked at the weather report, I changed my mind. I was going to drive to Costco tomorrow to return the huge bag of cold weather gear I bought for Justin and family but ended up not needing. Tomorrow’s weather starts out with rain here and snow further north, and then we get snow later in the day and overnight. I decided that I would rather drive up late this afternoon, so I did.

On my way home I got a message from Heather. I decided to pull over to read the message, and it was not news I wanted to hear. Heather, Jed, Jonah, and Ollie were skiing/snowboarding at Sunday River in Maine today. On the final run of the day, Ollie’s board went out from under him. He landed on his right arm which resulted in a break just above his wrist. Luckily Jonah was with him, and they were able to call ski patrol. They X-rayed and splinted the forearm right on the spot. It was an unfortunate mishap, but Heather said things went as smoothly as this sort of thing can. Jonah was super helpful and Ollie was in pretty good spirits. But that will end Ollie’s snowboarding for now.

2026 Life Logs, Day 16: Slowing Down a Bit
Date: Friday, January 16, 2026
Weather: Sunny, Windy and Cold; High 32, Low Temp 29 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

I survived another week of meetings and obligations that has kept me very busy. Today I had an Indivisible meeting and an Encore meeting, a trip to the library to deliver checks, and I ran a few personal errands. It was a busy day, but not too busy, which is a delightful change. I looked at my calendar just now, and from tonight through the next two weeks, my calendar looks much more normal. A meeting here and there, social activities here and there, but nothing like the last couple of months. So, I am celebrating tonight and am going to actually get to bed before midnight. Life is good.

2026 Life Logs, Day 14: Promises, Promises
Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Weather: Partly Sunny, Warmer; High 47, Low Temp 42 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

I promised myself to get the last of the Christmas decorations down today, and I kept that promise. It was warm (upper 40’s) and dry, so the perfect day to unwind the more than 2.000 feet of garland wrapped around the rail fence out front and store it away until next Christmas. Each garland is 18 ft long and it takes 10 to do the front fence. I can now say that, for me, Christmas is officially over.

I also have promised myself to always put family and friends above the crazy busy volunteer schedule I maintain these days. I was out running errands this morning and saw Bruce Woodin. He invited me to come have lunch with him and Jane at the Senior Center. I immediately started by responding that I didn’t have time, but I stopped myself mid-sentence and said I’d love to come. I saw a number of people I know while at lunch. The food was good and the camaraderie even better. One little step toward keeping that promise.

So. two promises kept today. But the promise to slow down my schedule a bit is going to take a little longer to accomplish. I ended the day with a two-hour meeting and have more of the same tomorrow and Friday. Then, this weekend, I am going to take a close look at my calendar and see if I can’t find a way to slow things down a bit going forward.

I had a wonderful conversation with my friends Kevin and Claire this afternoon. We had made an ‘appointment’ to talk at 2 pm today, and talk we did! After a break visiting with family over Christmas, they are back in Guaymas, Mexico, working on their boat. The projects to get it ready to sail go on and on, but I think they are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, they are beginning to see some backlash against Americans due to what we have done in Venezuela. Guaymas, and close by San Carlos, have a lot of Americans and Canadians that winter there. If we can’t get things under control in this country, I fear there is going to be backlash against Americans all around the world.

Last night and tonight, I took time to get on my exercise bike for the first time since Christmas and watch a little MS Now. What I saw happening in Minnesota last night and tonight was so hard to watch. The cruelty of ICE being unleased on the people of Minnesota is beyond inhumane. We have got to push our senators and representatives to do what they can to stop this madness. But that is only going to happen if public pressure increases. And that means each of us has to do our part.. And that means I need to do more. So, so much for the promises of slowing down. It probably isn’t going to happen.

2026 Life Logs, Day 13: FIRC Meeting, Book Club, Board of Library Trustees
Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 43, Low Temp 41 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

I have had a long string of days with multiple meetings plus a few meetings-related projects that had to be done. Things slow down just a bit tomorrow and a bit more on Friday. Maybe by Saturday, I will just have the standout on the Green, which really isn’t a meeting. It is a time to talk with old and new friends, so that I can just enjoy. But maybe, just maybe, I’ll have the rest of the afternoon and evening to myself. I look forward to that, and maybe even a quiet Sunday before the action begins again.

Working backward through my day, tonight I had a Board of Library Trustees meeting where, as treasurer, I had to present the second quarter finance report. I can perform the common functions of Excel, but I truly struggle when putting together the reports. I need to have a serious tutoring session with someone who uses Excel to produce financial reports. In the meantime, I will continue to muddle through.

This afternoon I produced the report I presented tonight and that tool all afternoon. And going back just before working on the quarterly report, I hosted my book club. And before that, I attended a Falmouth Immigrant Rights Coalition (FIRC) business advisory meeting. I went just to support the team presenting, but I learned a think or two as well. It was another busy, but good day.

2026 Life Logs, Day 12: Adventure with Archie and Indivisible Falmouth Meeting
Date: Monday, January 12, 2026
Weather: Overcast, Some Rain; High 47, Low Temp 28 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

Archie is the name of the little cockapoo that I walked everyday for a few weeks in the fall for a friend who had foot surgery. He is a little white ball of fluff and scared to death of people. But we got to know each other and today he was spending the day with me and Shadow while his momma led a Newcomers/Encore field trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Everything was going just fine until 10 minutes before I had a doctor appointment and needed to leave for a bit. I carefully opened the door so the dogs could not escape, but to my dismay, somehow Archie bolted through my legs and out into the drive way he went. Shadow and I followed him and I grabbed some treats to try and get him to come to me. But nothing worked. Then, all of a sudden, he ran as fast as his little legs could go down the driveway and left on the street. I quickly put Shadow in the car as I was standing next to it, and I walked/ran after Archie. At the entrance to the driveway, I could see he turned left on the next street. I ran in pursuit. When I made the left turn, I could see him far ahead and a young woman with her dog were following him. As we were now both running after Archie, she yelled back to me asking if it was my dog. I said he was not, but that I was dog sitting. I then saw Archie slow down a tad and I thought he was getting ready to head left down a path into the woods leading back toward his house. I knew I could not catch him, but I asked the other woman if she would follow him while I ran back to my house to get my car and drive to Archie’s house. She agreed and off we both went. Archie lives on a dead-end street off of very busy Gifford Street, about 7-tenths of mile from my house. When I neared his street in my car, I saw the woman and her dog and she yelled that she had lost track of him. I thanked her and drove on to his house. Much to my relief, he was there sitting beside the back gate awaiting entry. I got him into my car, back to my house, and then off the hospital for my doctor appointment. I was 10 minutes late, but that didn’t seem to be a problem. Instead of checking-in, I wanted to say to the receptionist that I really didn’t need the appointment. It was a routine cardiac check up. I had just walked/run as fast as I could for about a half mile and wasn’t out of breath. I had just completed my version of a stress test and things seemed to be fine. But I just smiled and waited to see the doctor, who agreed with me when I told him my story. He still ran the tests, and then also agreed with my assessment. My heart looks to be just fine!

The other major event today was the January general meeting of Indivisible Falmouth. We had 75 people in attendance, up from 50-60 last month, and many were new members. I designed and executed the main activity for the meeting, and that went over really well. So, a happy ending for Archie’s adventure and a great Indivisible Falmouth meeting with 75 totally engaged people in attendance. It was a busy, but a good day!

2026 Life Logs, Day 11: Sunday Workday
Date: Sunday, January 11, 2026
Weather: Overcast, Some Rain; High 47, Low Temp 28 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

I took Shadow for a nice long walk through town this morning and played ball with him this afternoon. Otherwise, I have been sitting at my computer the entire day. It is almost midnight, so I am stopping work for today and will finish up the two projects I’m working on tomorrow.

Good news—Sam made it back to Groningen in the Netherlands with no travel hassles. He has a term paper due tomorrow and two finals this week, so I wish him luck. No time for jet lag!

2026 Life Logs, Day 10: Rally on the Falmouth Green, Sam Off to the Netherlands
Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026
Weather: Overcast, Warm for Winter, with Rain Late; High 49, Low Temp 38 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

It was a day of emotions. I spent part of my morning making a few new rally signs to share with others at our Saturday rally on the Green. Today’s rally was in honor of Renee Nicole Good. Indivisible groups all around the country were holding ‘ICE Out for Good’ rallies today in her honor. We had about 375 people and we hugged, we mourned, we sang, and we hope that each person left the rally more determined than when they came to get involved in this fight for our democracy, for our humanity. Unbeknownst to me ahead of time, the keynote speaker today was Heather. She texted me yesterday to ask if Indivisible Falmouth was having a moment of silence during our rally today for the young woman murdered by federal government agents in Minneapolis. I said that we were, and she said she would go with me. Soon after we arrived, I realized she was going to be a speaker. And speak she did. Heather spoke from her heart, without notes, making reference to the situations of people she had talked to on Green today; citizens of Falmouth who are deeply saddened by the state of affairs in our country, people whose families didn’t come because they don’t ‘look like Americans’ and are fearful of showing up in public, and others who are just desperate to figure out what they can do about the situation we are in.

I am always the ever and always proud mother of Heather and Justin and my five grandchildren, but this afternoon I was bursting with pride for Heather who serves on out town Select Board and said words today to help heal and inspire people and for Justin, who when we could find no one locally to do it, built a website for Indivisible Falmouth and then supported the Upper Cape immigrant population by getting all of the Immigrant Rights Coalition help documents for immigrants on it so they can easily access them. Both Heather and Justin are dedicated to public service.in one way or another. I have never been prouder.

Then a couple of hours after returning home from the rally, Heather and Sam dropped by so I could give Sam a farewell hug. His flight did leave on time at 7 pm, so hopefully he will be able to land early tomorrow morning in Amsterdam. They have been having cold weather and snow that has brought the airport to a standstill a few times over the past week. It warms up tomorrow, but today and tonight it is below freezing. We will all feel much better once we know he is on the ground in Amsterdam and starts the bus and train trek to Groningen.

2026 Life Logs, Day 09: Family Dinner, Ice Cream Cake, and Football
Date: Friday, January 9, 2026
Weather: Mixed, Some Sun, Some Clouds, Some Misty Rain; High 52, Low Temp 21 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

My day was dedicated to planning for an Indivisible Falmouth monthly meeting on Monday night, but my evening was dedicated to family. This is Sam’s last night at home before he returns to university life in the Netherlands. He wanted duck and mashed potatoes for dinner and wanted to watch the college football semi-final between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Oregon Ducks. So, we ate duck and watched ducks! He also loves Smitty’s ice cream cake, so I arranged to get one for him even though Smitty’s closed in October. Thank you, Smitty. Sam will not be here for his birthday on January 21, so we put candles on the cake and sang happy birthday.

And being the Goldstones, Heather was working a puzzle while watching the game and everyone played a new building game something like Jenga. But with this game, each person gets a pattern and races to see who can sucessful build their pattern in the shortest time. It was a fun evening, but the football game was very one-sided. The final score was 55 to 22. Ouch! The Hoosiers will play the U of Miami in the final next week. Sam will watch that from the Netherlands as his good friend Robert plays in the Miami marching band.