by Judy Handley | Jul 8, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 190: Fun on Ardenna with J and O
Date: Monday, July 8, 2024
Weather: Sunny: High Temp 81, Low 74 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Jonah and Ollie decided that they wanted to return to Ardenna today to use the boat as a dive platform for jumping in the water. It was a perfect day to spend the hot and sunny afternoon in the water. They used the boom to swing out over the water to jump off, and sometimes they just jumped off the side of the boat.
We took the dinghy out to the small island called Devil’s Foot where Ollie and I went on a little explore while Jonah found a flat rock for a mid-day lie-down. It was a perfect summer afternoon.
This morning, I went to Curtis Automotive and made arrangements for them to take a look at my car and give me their opinion on whether or not I should spend the money to fix the ignition cylinder and the window that won’t roll up. I made an appointment for Wednesday morning to have them take a look. If they think the car will last another two or three years, then I am going to spend the money to fix the problems and give up on the car search for now. I realize that is just postponing the inevitable, but it will give me time to really search and decide what I would really like. Searching for a new car during the busy summer is just too stressful.
by Judy Handley | Jul 7, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 189: In Honor of Mark
Date: Sunday, July 7, 2024
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Humid: High Temp 81, Low 70 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Mark would have celebrated his 82nd birthday today if he were still with us. Justin called from England today to let me know he was thinking of his dad. And Heather decided to do a little celebrating in his honor. Heather, Jed, Ollie, and I went to Quissett to do a little “messing about” on Ardenna and then motor her from Quissett to Great Harbor in Woods Hole. This will be her home for this season, but the mooring ball wasn’t ready until Friday. So, making the move today was the perfect thing to do to honor Mark. And if you have to mess about in a boat, it might as well be in beautiful Quissett Harbor with the Knob as a backdrop.
The first part of “messing about” was sending Ollie up the mast to put a line through a block in the mast. He wanted to do this, but when he got up there, he was afraid to let loose to the do the job. They lowered him, but then he decided he was no longer afraid of heights, so back up he went to get that job completed. He is now an experienced mast monkey and if his granddad were here, he would be super proud of him.
Next the jib went on, then the headsail. But we dropped the mooring and raised the headsail as we were motoring toward the Woods Hole cut. They got the headsail raised, but the line to roll it up seized up in the drum and the sail had to be lowered once, then twice. While Heather, Jed, and Ollie were busy with this, I was on watch to make sure the auto pilot kept us moving into the wind. When it was apparent to all that we had to abandon the idea of getting headsail on today, we headed for the “hole”. The current was with us as we started in, and Heather handed the wheel over to me while she helped Jed get the headsail bagged and put away. I haven’t been at the wheel of sail boat since March of 2016. At first, I was unsure that I could do it, but once I got going, I felt right at home. I was at the helm of Bruce and Jane Woodin’s sailboat about four years ago, but not for long. I am fine on a sailboat with a wheel, but not one with a tiller.
I got us into the mooring field in Great Harbor, but when it became apparent that we were going to have to weave through the whole field to find mooring ball #31, Heather took the helm. It took a while to find it, but we were finally successful. Sam and Jonah came down to Woods Hole to join us. Ollie drove the dinghy in to pick them up. They were on the boat only a short time before we got the notice that our table was ready at The Landfall. We had dinner with a toast to Granddad and then home for cheesecake (Mark’s favorite) and a happy birthday song. Mark, we all miss you so much and carry your memory with us every day.
Another day, another disaster. That’s my mantra these days. Today the disaster was Sam’s hand. Last night his fist hit the back of a padded office-type computer chair. By this morning the pain and swelling made it pretty evident that he had broken something. Heather took him to the ER today and sure enough, he has what is called a boxer’s fracture in his right hand. He has a temporary cast on until tomorrow when he can see an orthopedic surgeon who will put on a permanent cast of some sort. Sam is hoping it will be waterproof so he can still be in the water this summer. I don’t know if there is such a thing, but that would be nice.
by Judy Handley | Jul 5, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 187: Pity Party and Birthday Party
Date: Friday, July 5, 2024
Weather: Overcast with Periods of Rain: High Temp 76, Low 72 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
I am having a Friday night pity party because I have had quite the day. I seem to be on a roll these days of having one problem after another. The day got off to a great start with a walk with Shadow. It had been raining, but it looked like it had stopped, so Shadow and I headed out. We made it back home just in time for me to go to PT, but when I stepped out the door, it was pouring rain. I grabbed my raincoat, but I still got soaking wet getting to the car. By the time I got to PT, however, the rain had stopped. I went in and got started as usual. It has been a week and half since I have seen Matt, my physical therapist, as I had a substitute last Thursday and a cancelled appointment on Monday of this week. He asked how things were going and I told him about a pain I have been having in my right thigh for about six or seven days now. It feels like a muscle cramp and I have just assumed that is what it is. But Matt wanted to investigate further. I had me get off the machine and on to one of the examination tables so he could take a closer look. My leg more swollen than it has been for weeks and after checking a few other things, he said it could possibly be a blood clot. I didn’t even think of that possibility since it has been over seven weeks since the surgery, but Matt said the possibility had to be eliminated. So, I spent the next two and half hours in the ER to have an ultra-sound done. It is not a blood clot and the doctor who examined me feels sure it is just a muscle issue. Matt will see me on Monday, and the meantime, I am to use heat on the back of my calf four times a day and massage it. Just when things were going so well.
Then on my way home from Heather’s this afternoon, I tried to roll down my car window and it made this horrible, grinding noise, went down about five inches, and stopped dead. I can’t get my car key back in the ignition if I forget and take it out, the air conditioning in the car doesn’t work, and now I have a permanently open driver’s side window. I was so upset about the window that I forgot and took the key out when I got home and I could not get it to go back in. I do believe the time has come to look for another used car that I don’t have the money to pay for. Pity, pity. But I’ll start looking for a used car tomorrow. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so I taped the open space with strips of heavy-duty duct tape. Ollie said it looks like my car has an eyebrow on one side. He thinks I should tape the passenger side to match!
Enough pity. The other party today was Jonah’s birthday party. He had a family birthday party on June 26th, the day he turned 15, but postponed the party with friends because Jed was Italy. That party was supposed to a climbing and ziplining expedition at the Adventure Park at Heritage Museums & Gardens today. But that had to be cancelled when we thought Jonah had broken his toe. So, he had three friends, Kaiden, Tristin, and Joey, come over to play outdoor games at home. They played spike ball in the back yard, corn hole in the front yard, watched the Germany vs Spain and France vs Portugal Euro soccer games, ate home made pizza, and made a late evening expedition to Megansett Beach to jump off the dock at high tide, on to Chapaquoit to jump off the bridge, and home for ice cream cake from Smitty’s. Molly, his ‘adopted’ sister, came over after her workday at Smitty’s and went to the beach with the boys. Sam and Ollie also went.
I didn’t go on the beach expedition, but Sam and Ollie stopped by to pick me up and take me home with them afterwards for birthday cake. Even though it was a rainy, overcast day, Jonah really had a great time with his friends. All of the kids seemed to have fabulous time and Jed even invented a new (new to him) homemade pizza.. When he asked the boys what toppings they wanted on the pizzas, Joey said Chicken Bacon Ranch. They had bacon in the fridge, chicken nuggets in the freezer, and Heather made ranch dressing. It was also fabulous.
When Heather brought me home, she asked if I would like her to try and start the car. Of course, I wanted her to and she was successful right off the bat. Now I can start my car search tomorrow. Hurray! And I also talked to my good friend Lynne Kirwin. We are hoping it is going to work out for her to come visit sometime in the first two weeks of August.
by Judy Handley | Jul 4, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 186: The Fourth of July
Date: Thursday, July 4, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny: High Temp 75, Low 69 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
The morning began with the annual 4th of July parade in Heather and Jed’s neighborhood. This year was special because it was the last parade for Sam Patterson. He and his wife Hilda have lived in Grasmere for more than 30 years, but they are moving to Connecticut to be closer to their grandchildren. 
Sam has always led the parade in his jeep with the neighborhood children on bicycles and other children and adults walking behind. After the parade there is a barbeque and pool party. Heather took an angel food cake decorated in red, white, and blue
.
Later in the afternoon, I took Jonah and his friend Tristin to the beach to skim board. It seems to me that Jonah’s little toe was not broken, just badly bruised because it is no long swollen and purple and he is able to skim board already. Hopefully this means he can also play soccer. Then tonight, we all went to hear the town band play a 4th of July concert at the band shell on the harbor and then on to the beach to watch the fireworks.
Jonah and Tristin got back on their skim boards while waiting for the fireworks and Sam and his friend Robert also got in the water to swim. It is too early in the summer for the water to be so warm, but it is warm and many of the young people tonight jumped in for a swim with the fireworks as their backdrop. 
Happy 4th!
by Judy Handley | Jul 3, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 185: A Summer Day in the Life of a 12-Year-Old
Date: Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Weather: Another Beautiful Day: High Temp 77, Low 63 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Ollie had a friend over this morning, so we were up and out of my house early. He and his friend, Reese, played Mine Craft on the X-box, rode bicycles around the neighborhood, came back and watched Star Wars episodes, went back outside again and biked over to Morse Pond School, ate lunch, and finally decided to do a longer bike ride. Reese had a 2:30 class at the Children’s School of Science in Woods Hole, so they decided to bike there. Once they arrived, I went to pick up Ollie as he thought he would be too tired to ride back home. But when I got there, he decided to ride part way home. I said I would meet him at the Trunk River parking area beside the Shining Sea Bikeway. But again, when I got there, he decided to ride all the way to my house. Finally, we was worn out and we just chilled and watched more of The Clone Wars episodes. Now he has me addicted to them. Our day together was over at 5:30 pm because I had to take him home so he could go with the whole family to a Boston Revs soccer game at Gillette Stadium. The Revs won and the game ended with a fireworks display. So goes a summer day in the life of a lucky 12-year-old boy on Cape Cod.
PS: When I met Ollie at Trunk River, I took a photo of him by his bike with the ocean in the background. How lucky we are to live where there is such a beautiful bike path.
