by Judy Handley | May 8, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 129: Lazy, Rainy Day
Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Weather: Sun, Rain, Clouds, Fog, Thunderstorm Storm; High Temp 58, Low 51 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
When I went for a walk with Shadow at 7:30 this morning, the sun was shining. When I left the Encore Board meeting at 11:30 am, it was pouring rain. I don’t remember what time the rain stopped, but by mid-afternoon it was just overcast. As the evening progressed, it was foggy. And then we got a whopper of a thunderstorm with hail. While the hail was falling, I actually thought the skylights in the living room might break. It was very loud, but I was so busy trying to calm Shadow, that I didn’t even get a look at the size of the hail.
Before the storm hit, Shadow started acting very strangely. He was hiding under the table where I keep my computer, and when I sat down to check my email, he crawled under my legs. He is always my little shadow, but this was more like he wanted to hide from something very scary. I couldn’t figure out the problem. Then I heard the first thunder. The thunder caused him to start shaking, almost violently. We have had lots of storms, but I have never noticed him reacting like this before. He does shake when he is in the car and when there is thunder and lightning, but not violently like he did tonight. I tried to hold him, but that didn’t help. It was actually a bit scary. I started thinking he knew something about the coming storm that I didn’t know. However, when the storm passed, he was immediately fine, and I was relieved. I’ll never know what caused him to be so afraid, but I’m hoping we don’t have any more storms like that for a while. Other than the Encore Board meeting, exercising, and starting to get the house ready for my upcoming knee surgery on Monday, I had a very quiet, lazy day watching the crazy weather.
by Judy Handley | May 7, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 128: Pampered Paws, Wrentham Outlet, Costco, Wine Group
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Weather: Beautiful, Sunny Day; High Temp 67, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
It was a busy day. Once ever seven weeks, I have to get Shadow up to the bridge to Pampered Pets to be groomed. So we were there by 9 am. And as I often do, as long as am that far, I cross the bridge to go to Costco, or IKEA, or the Wrentham Outlet to do much needed shopping. This morning I headed to the Wrentham Outlet as yesterday the podiatrist suggested I get another pair of shoes, just like the ones I was wearing, so I would have an indoor and an outdoor pair. I also need a few other items, so by 10 am I was there for the opening of the shops. I was successful at New Balance, Columbia, and Jockey in getting everything I needed. I then headed to Costco to get a few food items that I desperately needed, again successful. By the time I got back across the bridge and on Cape Cod it was 2 pm and I got the text to pick up Shadow. Perfect timing.
Once home, I went out to play with Shadow, took my grandson Ollie to his saxophone lesson, baked spanakopita to take as the appetizer to wine group, and then headed to meet up with the ‘Best Wine Group Ever’.
I signed up to be in a Newcomers Wine Explorers group in September of 2018, but it wasn’t until August of 2019 that I first met with the group. That night I wrote in my log, “Last September I signed up for a Newcomers Wine Explorer group. I couldn’t attend the first event last October and then there was an email problem, and I didn’t receive notices for a couple of months. So, first one thing and then another kept me from attending a gathering until tonight. My reason for joining this group was to learn more about wine and my education began tonight. The other members of the group are pretty serious about their wine choices, so I look forward to learning from them.”
Actually, I was quite intimidated at that first meeting and thought that would be my first and last getting together with the group. But before we left that night, I was ‘elected’ to host the meeting the next month. I didn’t know how to refuse, so I did host in September of 2019, and I am so glad that I did. I have been with this group ever since. I love this eclectic group of friends. I don’t see them much other than our monthly wine group meetings, but they have my back and I have theirs.
Tonight’s theme was to bring a wine that has been an historic favorite. And instead of focusing on the qualities of the wine, we were to tell the story of why this wine was special. Rich and Marian Morrison hosted, and as always there was more food than we could eat, and great stories to go with the wine we drank.
We had such a good time, we forgot to set our next meeting date. But sometime in June we will gather again.
by Judy Handley | May 6, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 127: Podiatry Appointment, Walk, Canning Bone Broth
Date: Monday, May 6, 2024
Weather: Rainy Morning, Clearing in the Afternoon; High Temp 61, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Feet! When I was young, I read that the weakest part of the body for most Pisces is feet. And that has certainly been true for this Pisces. My problems got worse after I broke my leg while sailing in the Pacific. When I got home, I went to see a podiatrist at Mass General and he told me there was nothing to be done except to wear really supportive shoes. But things have gotten worse, and I decided to try another podiatrist. This time I was fitted for new liners for my shoes and orthotics for arch support. I will return after I have completed the PT post-knee surgery to see if these things have helped.
The appointment took almost an hour and a half. I had not planned for that, so I had to rush home to get Shadow as we had a 2 pm date to meet a friend’s dog and take a walk together. The other dog’s name is Millie, and she is an old lady, not enthusiastic like Shadow. They got along just fine, but basically ignored each other. But it was a delightful walk on the Salt Pond nature trails close to the Shining Sea Bikeway.
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I have a deep love of fiddle heads, and they lined the path of the trail we took. Soon these fiddle heads turn into beautiful, tall ferns. I will certainly return to this trail to watch the development of the ferns.
My task tonight was canning the chicken bone broth I made yesterday. I have been buying vegetable broth, but with surgery coming up, I wanted the extra protein. A cup of vegetable broth has about 2 grams of protein versus chicken bone broth at 10 grams. After my left knee replacement, the visiting nurse explained to me that after surgery of any sort, your body needs at least 70 grams of protein a day to assist with the healing. If you don’t ingest that much, your body ‘borrows’ it from other parts of your body which can cause all sorts of problems, but feeling like you have no energy is one issue. I followed her advice and found that the extra protein gave me a true energy burst. It is really difficult to get that much protein per day, so I will once again add Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and boiled eggs to my diet for a few weeks post-surgery, and I will drink a cup of hot bone broth each morning.
by Judy Handley | May 5, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 126: Day of Rest and Family Dinner
Date: Sunday, May 5, 2024
Weather: Overcast, Rain Late; High Temp 50, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
There are some days when you just need to go slow and today was one of those days for me. I did some Sunday morning house cleaning, slowly, did my back exercises, slowly, and otherwise managed to do nothing. Heather invited me over for an artichoke dinner, so I spent my evening with family. As we went around saying what we are thankful for, I said I was thankful that the days are very slowly getting a bit warmer. But I am not sure that is really happening. I just want that to happen. What I should have said was that I am thankful that I live close enough to loving family that we can have family dinners on Sunday evenings. It is a wonderful way to start the new week.
by Judy Handley | May 4, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 125: Campaign Day
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny, Turning Cloudy; High Temp 54, Low 42 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
My day began and ended with campaign-related activities. This morning, I spent more than three hours standing on the street corner holding a campaign sign and waving at every car, truck, bus, and motorbike that passed by. There were four of us today, just enough for the four corners. Then at 4 pm, I picked up Heather to take her to a Meet the Candidates evening hosted by friends of hers. Many of the guests were good friends and the conversations were still lively at 9 pm.
Between the two events, I made chicken bone broth so it could burble for the entire evening. And Heather attended yet another event. She had her first Smitty’s Ice Cream of the year at the East Falmouth Village Association festival.
After living in East Falmouth for 12+ years, East Falmouth holds a very special place in her heart, as does Oreo ice cream!.
Jed and all three boys are on Nantucket this weekend at the Scout Highland Games. The photo they sent Heather shows Jed wearing his kilt, but Sam, Jonah, and Ollie are wearing their kilts around their shoulders to keep them warm.
