2024 Life Logs, Day 271: Quashnet River Walk, Step-up Night, and In Between

by Judy Handley | Sep 27, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs | 0 comments

2024 Life Logs, Day 271: Quashnet River Walk, Step-up Night, and In Between
Date: Friday, September 27, 2024
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High Temp 68, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Today started with a walk and ended at the high school football game, but in between there was a lot of other activity. My friend Olga Mitchell, Shadow, and I love to walk the Quashnet River Trail. It has been months since we did it, so this morning we got back out there. We didn’t do the whole trail, but we enjoyed what we did do. After taking Olga home, Shadow and I drove to the Cape Cod Package Store in Centerville to check out their German beers and wines for the Octoberfest I am hosting tomorrow night. There will only be seven of us as the Sullivans are in New York City helping their daughter’s family move north of the city and Kim Caverly is in Greece. But the seven of us that are here will make sure to have enough fun for all. The afternoon was spent making German chocolate brownies and prepping the ingredients for sauerkraut balls for tomorrow night. Then in the early evening I headed to Falmouth High School for a Friday night football game where the middle school band would be participating. Ollie plays his saxophone in the band, so I wanted to go enjoy the fun. The middle school band sat in the bleachers and played along with the high school band during the game. This is called Step Up Night as it gives the 8th graders a glimpse of what it will be like when they move on to the high school. Ollie has another year after this one before he will be moving the high school, but the 7th graders were included as well.

2024 Life Logs, Day 270: You Win Some, You Lose Some

by Judy Handley | Sep 26, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs | 0 comments

2024 Life Logs, Day 270: You Win Some, You Lose Some
Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Weather: Cloudy with Sprinkles, Felt Warmer; High Temp 68, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

When I walked out the door this morning with Shadow, it felt noticeably warmer than yesterday. The remained cloudy with a little rain in the afternoon, so the fact that I ended up having to spend most of the day inside wasn’t such a bummer. The outside just didn’t beckon today.

I spent my morning in a Newcomers/Encore annual Field Trip group planning meeting. Christina Brodie and I co-lead this group that is my favorite activity. I love the way we come together in a brainstorming session every September and walk out the door with a year’s worth of wonderful trips to be planned. Different members offer to plan the trips and Christina and I just facilitate. But the two of us do always organize at least one of the trips because we enjoy doing it. It was almost noon when I got home. The first thing I did was check on the appeal I submitted yesterday to try and keep my sister’s Medicare Advantage co-paying her stay in the rehabilitation center. I have won every appeal up to now, but when I checked the website, I saw that I had lost this one. I called to find out why and was told they would have a nurse call me to read the report to me. I was also told I could submit a Reconsideration Appeal. What a process this has become. While waiting for the nurse to call, I talked to Brian, my sister’s Durable POA, to inform him, and then I got a call from the rehab facility explaining some of what was happening in more detail. And for whatever reason, during all of these calls I had really spotty cell service. When I called to make the Reconsideration Appeal, I got to the very end and was then disconnected. I had to call back and start all over with a new person. And even though I could only hear about half of what was being said, I think the determination is that my sister will be going back to her assisted living facility sooner than I was expecting. So, I am going into high gear to start making those arrangements.

While all of this was happening, I was also trying to do some prep for the wine group Octoberfest we are having at my house on Saturday evening. I did a little more shopping and a little more cleaning. On my way back from my shopping trip, I stopped by the Goldstones to pick up a baking pan of mine. Jed was furiously getting dinner for the boys as he had to leave in 5 minutes to get to Meet the Teacher Night at the high school. He was going to have to meet with both Sam’s teachers and Jonah’s teachers since Heather was still not home from Climate Week in New York City. He was feeling very much like a single parent. I heard from Heather last night as she wanted me to know that she saw the elephants (the ones I saw in Newport) in the Meat Packing District yesterday. I think Heather get home late tonight. I’ll look forward to hearing more about the elephants.

When I got home and started fixing dinner all of a sudden the electricity went off. I looked online and saw that a sliver of Falmouth had no power. The cause was unknown. I texted the Goldpebbles to see if they had also lost power, but they were fine. And I was fine as I have a whole house generator. But after awhile, the generator went off, everything went black for a moment and the lights came back on. Then it went black again, the generator came back on, and with a little lag time, the lights and tv returned. This continued on and off craziness continued for the next hour and then it was steady generator. Just as I started writing this log at 10:40, the electricity seems to be back on for good.

I am thinking of the people in northern Florida tonight. Hurricane Helene is making landfall in the next hour and the forecast for damage sounds devastating. It makes the inconvenience of on and off power seem very, very trivial.

2024 Life Logs, Day 269: Full Day

by Judy Handley | Sep 25, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs | 0 comments

2024 Life Logs, Day 269: Full Day
Date: Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny; High Temp 65, Low 57 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

My day began with my walk with Shadow and lodging another appeal for my sister. Then I was off the a meeting that lasted into to afternoon. Once home, I worked on house cleaning and organization as I am hosting my wine group on Saturday night. I picked Ollie up from his after-school meeting and we headed to the high school to watch part of Sam and Jonah’s soccer game. Then Ollie came over with the leaf blower to do a little yard clean-up for me. That is as much as I could pack into this day! Tomorrow is more of the same. I have another all morning meeting and then it is back to the house cleaning which is really just getting rid of or organizing the clutter that seems to build up over time.

2024 Life Logs, Day 268: Early Release Day

by Judy Handley | Sep 24, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs | 0 comments

2024 Life Logs, Day 268: Early Release Day
Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High Temp 64, Low 53 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA

On Early Release days the Goldpebbles only have a half day of school. They have the afternoon off so teachers can engage in professional development activities. I have always loved helping out on Early Release days as it has given me a way to be a part of Sam, Jonah, and Ollie’s lives during the busy school year. It is different now that they are older, but today I was there’ just in case’ and so that they could have friends over. Heather headed to New York City today and Jed and a full day of work, so starting at noon I was at their house as boys came and went. Sam and Jonah had soccer practice until 1:30 and Ollie was hanging out with Simon, who lives in the neighborhood, and Seton who was invited to Simon’s for the afternoon. But since I was there, the three of them came in and played on the Xbox until Sam and Jonah, and two of Jonah’s friends, came home from soccer practice. Then the younger boys got back on their bicycles and the big boys got on the Xbox for a bit before going outside to play soccer and just hang out. While they did that, I got dinner in the oven for Jed and the boys, and then late afternoon took Ollie to his sax lesson. He was excited about this lesson as it was his first on his new tenor sax. A couple of weeks ago, his band teacher asked if any of the sax players would like to go from alto to tenor and Ollie volunteered. It is so much bigger than the alto, but after his lesson today, he was even more excited.