by Judy Handley | Jan 6, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 06: Magic Mineral Broth Day
Date: Monday, January 6, 2025
Weather: Overcast; Temp 27, Low 17 degrees F (feels 10 degrees colder)
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
On the twelfth day of Christmas, I made some magic in my kitchen. The recipe I use for making bone broth is called Magic Mineral Broth, thus the magic. You start with a 16-quart pot and the bones of a roasted organic chicken. You add to that a bunch of celery, 6 carrots, 2 onions, 4 red potatoes, 2 sweet potatoes, 1 garnet sweet potato, 1 leek, kombu seaweed, a bunch of parsley, juniper seeds, peppercorns, vinegar, 5 garlic cloves, and 8 quarts of water. The pot is brimming to the top, so you carefully bring it to a boil and then turn down the heat and let it burble for 8-10 hours. The only work time involved on this first day is getting the veggies washed and in the pot. That takes about 30 minutes. Then just before bedtime, you spend another 20 minutes or so, getting the broth separated from everything else. The problem with this is that the pot is incredibly heavy, so I have to use a colander to get one batch at a time separated and then divide the broth into two pots so I can carry them outside to sit overnight. Tonight I was curious as to how much the bones and veggies weigh, so I put the compost bag they were in on the scale. Just the waste weighs over 6 pounds! In warmer weather I have to fit the pots in the refrigerator which is a real pain. So, I prefer making the broth in the wintertime when I can use the outdoor freezer. Tomorrow I will skim off the fat and can the broth.
I want to thank Heather and Jed for the time they took on Sunday night to put some new lighting in my kitchen. Tonight, when I was straining the broth, I could not believe how much easier everything was with the new lighting. When I moved into this house, lighting was needed everywhere, but the kitchen was particularly dim. But months went by without me doing anything about it. Just before Christmas I saw a light strip in Heather and Jed’s basement that they were taking to the Swap Shop. I grabbed it and that is what they installed for me tonight. It is fabulous. Thank, thank you, H and J.
The only other thing I did today was spend the evening with the Goldpebbles while Heather attended her bi-monthly Select Board meeting and Jed attended his bi-monthly Health Board meeting. On those Monday nights, I consider it my “civic duty” to fix dinner for the boys. I love doing it as it gives me a chance to catch up on what is happening in Jonah and Sam’s lives. I see Ollie almost every day, but now that Sam and Jonah are in high school I see less and less of them. So I cherish my Monday nights with them. Tonight, we had veggie curry, butter chicken and rice, and chicken pakoras. It was the first time I had ever made the pakoras and all three boys loved them.
by Judy Handley | Jan 5, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 05: Sunday Dinner with the Goldstones minus Sam
Date: Sunday, January 5, 2025
Weather: Cloudy, A Little Less Wind; Temp 34, Low 21 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Right now it is 28 degrees outside, but it feels like 16 degrees according to WeatherUnderground. It has been like this for the past few days, and I think the rest of this week will be mostly the same. Cold and windy, making it feel colder than it really is. But the wind was a little less this morning, so Shadow and I were back to our longer morning walk. I started the steroid regime this morning, the one prescribed by the health clinic doctor on Friday. The warnings that came with the drug said I might make me a little hyped. For whatever reason, by noon I was totally exhausted and had to take a nap. Weird. But after the nap, I was fine.
I invited Heather and family over for dinner tonight. I attempted to roast a brisket for the first time in my life and I totally failed. It was overcooked and I didn’t like the marinade, but I tried and no one mentioned how bad it was. And thank you to Ollie who sliced it for me.
Despite my culinary failure, we still managed to have a nice dinner together, but we missed Sam who was not with us tonight. College applications are due at 11:59 pm tonight, so he stayed home putting on the final touches. He still has about half an hour left, so good luck, Sam.
by Judy Handley | Jan 4, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 04: Day of Impromptu Happenings
Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025
Weather: Sunny, NE Wind Continues; Temp 31, Low 26 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
One of the things I loved about sailing across the South Pacific was the hospitality of the local people on the islands. No matter how humble the abode–sometimes a thatched roof hut, other times a small concrete block home, big village or small one–as Mark and I walked through the villages, people would always invite us in for a cup of tea or a local treat of some sort. These impromptu meetings gave us a true view of how Pacific islanders live day to day. Somehow, they always had a kettle boiling and always had food of some sort to share. It felt so carefree and welcoming. This afternoon an invitation to the visit with Bruce and Jane Woodin felt that way. It started with Jane wanting to drop off some beef bones for Shadow. I was not at home, and she ended up not coming to drop them off. But I said I would come pick them up later. One thing led to another, and we ended up having an impromptu 4-course dinner of leftovers and some veggie soup I contributed. Jane brought out the food and served each course like a formal dinner. We had roasted brussels sprouts for the first course, my veggie soup for course number two, steak and shrimp straight off a Japanese hibachi grill( a couple of nights ago) served with rice for the third course, and leftover chocolates and cookies from Christmas for dessert. No one had to cook, and we had a great meal with lots of time for conversation. It was such fun!
My day started as usual with a walk with my Shadow. The temperature these days is misleading as it is much lower than the number showing due to wind chill. On my walks with Shadow, I have been wearing infinity scarf I got from Justin and Jo for Christmas like a balaclava. Wrapped twice around my neck, I can bury my face into it to protect from it from the wind. It has been keeping me warm on my walks with Shadow on these very cold, windy days we are experiencing.
This morning I walked only a half mile, despite the sunshine, as my hands were freezing despite the new wool gloves I got from the Goldstones for Christmas. When we got home, I realized I didn’t really have a plan for the day. So on the spurs of the moment, I decided to drive to Hyannis to go to Whole Foods. I have been needing a couple of food items that I can get only there or online from Amazon. So off I went–another impromptu happening in my day.
The final impromptu happening in my day was watching a rerun of Nicole Wallice’s Deadline Whitehouse program on MSNBC. When I got home from Bruce and Jane’s, I sat down at the computer to write my log. I was recording the weather and that prompted me to turn on the television to see if there was an update on the weather channel about the storm crossing the middle of the US. But before I could change to the weather channel, I got completely immersed in the program that was on. Nicole Wallace’s program is on MSNBC every week day at 4 pm, but tonight’s rerun was from this past week. She had an hour-long interview with documentary film maker Ken Burns. I watched the entire hour. It started with Ken Burns talking about his Civil War documentary that came out in the early 1990’s and how much of what was happening in the 1860’s in this country is mirrored in the present. It went on to relate material from some of his other documentaries to the present time, but there was one thing that he said that really stuck with me. Nicole mentioned that many people are just burying their heads in the sand currently, just not watching the news because it can be so depressing. His response was something to the effect that sitting in the fetal position and sucking your thump is not going to benefit anyone. He stated that we all need to stay involved in some way to help move our country forward. I agree with him, but I also realize that it is really hard to find the best way to be involved right now. I was so glad that I got to see this program, totally by accident, and really glad to be reminded by Ken Burns of how important it is to stay involved.. Today made me a new fan of ‘impromptu’.
by Judy Handley | Jan 3, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 03: A Trip to the Community Health Center
Date: Friday, January 3, 2025
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Still Windy; Temp 38, Low 24 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
This saga began in late October with the beginnings of a sinus infection. It wasn’t full blown, but because I was going to be flying to North Carolina, my doctor prescribed an antibiotic. I hoped that would be the end of that. And it was until I got back from North Carolina. That was when I started having some pain just below my left ear. I thought maybe it was a dental issue, but I had a dental cleaning appointment and x-rays and the dentist gave me a clean bill of dental health. I then flew to Puerto Rico and was fine while there, but again on my return I had a sore throat, but only on that left side. That made me think it might be tonsilitis. I used a salt solution to gargle and heat on the neck area and everything was fine over the Christmas week in Maine. But when I got home, the very stiff neck and sore throat on one side only came back. Then, when I woke up this morning, the stiffness and pain from my ear and neck had traveled on to my upper left arm. That prompted me to go the Community Health Center. I arrived at 11:30 and thought I would be home no later than 1 pm. But I barely made it home in time to pick Ollie up at 2:45. I still have absolutely no idea what is causing this, but after a very long interview with the doctor and then an EKG and all sorts of x-rays, I was told that there doesn’t seem to be a cause. I do have postnasal drip, but my tonsils, my esophagus, my heart, and my ears are all fine. After 3 hours, I was prescribed a short term steroid, told to take Claritan, use a nasal spray, and buy a new pillow. Very frustrating, but good to know it doesn’t appear to be anything serious.
by Judy Handley | Jan 2, 2025 | 2025 Life Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 02: On the Ninth Day of Christmas
Date: Thursday, January 2, 2025
Weather: Mostly Sunny with Gale Force Winds; Temp 42, Low 30 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
On this second day of 2025, the ninth day of Christmas, I did not do any dancing with the nine ladies mentioned in the 12 Days of Christmas song. I did on this day, as I do every year on the second day of January. I tried to think of all the things I didn’t get done in 2024 that really need to be done, and I started working on that list. I only got as far as beginning to correct a mistake I made in my logs starting back on September 25. September 24 was Day 268, and I entered September 25 as 268 as well. So, every log from that day forward was off by one day. I noticed the error when I realized 2024 was going to end on Day 365. I knew that was not correct as 2024 was a leap year, so I went back to see where I went astray. I have corrected all the logs in my computer files, but I now need to correct the logs that are on the website. Of course, I don’t have to do this. No one else in the entire world will notice or care. But I will and the anal me says I have to make the corrections. We’ll see if that really gets done. Other than playing with lists, I walked and played with Shadow, did my stretches and exercises for my back and knee that I have been ignoring the past few weeks, attended an Encore Nominating Committee meeting, and picked Ollie up after school. I also called Helaine Kanegsberg to wish her a happy birthday, but I’ll repeat it again here. Happy Birthday, Helaine!
