by Judy Handley | Dec 9, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 343: Another Orthopedic Knee Appointment
Date: Friday, December 9, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny: High 42, Low 35 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 6:58 am & 4:13 pm
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a cold one with wind coming out of the north. I guess the full Cold Moon is performing its magic. I had a morning appointment with my knee surgeon’s assistant. I saw him on November 1st and declined to get a cortisone shot. But since then, especially after I got home from Puerto Rico, it has become evident that I need to do something to control the pain. Today I was talked into the cortisone shot and a knee brace to wear when I am hiking or taking long walks, doing yard work and gardening. Vince, the PA, explained that doing these two things will probably allow me to do all the things I want to do until I finally have a knee replacement. I have waited too long for this year as my surgeon is booked until summer. And I do not want to be recovering from knee surgery in the summer! But I will meet again with the PA in June and decide then if a fall or late winter surgery is in my future. And if so, I’ll book the surgery then.
I came home and took Shadow for a walk, wearing the brace. It felt good enough that I wanted to keep walking. But I was told to take it easy for 24 hours after the cortisone shot, no long walks. So, we walked a half a mile and then came come and played ball down by the dock. Recently, each day when I walk down there to play, our presence scatters the water birds, usually just geese, swans, and common mallard ducks.
Yesterday I noticed that there was a raft of new ducks in the neighborhood. They were there today, but they are such fast swimmers that they were too far away to get a good photo by the time Shadow and reached the water’s edge. From a distance, they look like hooded mergansers to me, but I think hooded mergansers are usually freshwater ducks. I took a photo and if anyone can tell what I was seeing, please let me know.
It would make more sense if they were buffleheads, but I don’t think so. Tomorrow I will try to sneak down earlier without Shadow and get a better photo.
by Judy Handley | Dec 8, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 342: Holiday Luncheon and Holiday Wine Tasting
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny but Cold: High 44, Low 35 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a golf club and yacht club kind of day. It began with the Newcomers Holiday Luncheon at the Pocasset Golf Club. I had never been there and found it to be nice enough, but not my favorite venue for the Newcomers Holiday Luncheon. The food and companionship was good, however, so I shouldn’t complain. I sat beside the friend who actually got me to join Newcomers in 2017. Friends had tried, but I kept saying I didn’t join clubs. Then I met Lynda at the gym. I was interested in buying a bicycle. In our conversations, I found that she led a biking club. I wanted to join that, but then found out it was a Newcomers biking club. I finally gave in and joined Newcomers and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. If social connections, companionship, and keeping active are important to the aging population, Newcomers offers all of that and more. A brand new Newcomer was sitting beside Lynda. She is a young, still working for Novartis in Boston. She keeps a small condo there but wanted a house with a yard where she can pursue her interest in gardening. She chose Falmouth for that.
I came home after the luncheon, played with Shadow, and then headed back out for an evening of wine tasting at the Green Pond Yacht Club with my wine group.
We did a blind tasting using Tasting Wine for Dummies as a guide.
It was great fun, but it required hard work–not just deciding which wine you liked best. You had to try and identify the specific type of grape and the country of origin. Most of us at least knew if the wine was red or white!!!
Following the wine tasting with delicious appetizers, we had a wine Yankee Swap. A wine cooler disguised as a woman’s bright red faux leather purse was the hit of the evening. I am not a wine lover, but I love my wine group. Drinking wine once a month is worth it just to be with that crazy, fun-loving group.
When I got home, I looked up to be greeted by the Cold Moon. It was full yesterday, but mostly hidden. Tonight, it was beautiful.
by Judy Handley | Dec 7, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 341: Full Moon Hidden in Cloud Cover
Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Weather: Overcast and Rainy: High 57, Low 45 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
There was a full moon tonight, but it was hidden from view here on Cape Cod by a complete cloud cover. I do hope the full moon was visible in Rincon tonight as Justin and Jo were playing a full moon concert near the plaza. I spent my day talking on the phone dealing with various issues and doing laundry at Heather and Jed’s. Jed was home when I first arrived, and we spent some time talking about the boys various Christmas wish lists. I have no idea what I am getting for any of them, but hopefully the just right things will emerge over the next few days. Since I leave town on Monday, I really need to have things in order by then.
by Judy Handley | Dec 6, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 340: More Doctor Appointments
Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Weather: Mostly Sunny: High 52, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was my annual wellness exam plus a chiropractor appointment. In between, Jane Woodin dropped by to pick up a couple of items she left last night. While we were having a cup of tea, Karen Baranowski came over to visit. She was working with her cousin, Caroline, to pack up things in Shirley’s house next door. She and Caroline had just found a small brass Cape Cod dory and Karen decided I had to have that. When she gave it to me, I noticed the numbers (maybe a date?) on the bottom. 7/7—Mark’s birthday. So, indeed, I think I needed that dory. So, doctor appointments, cleaning up from last night’s dinner party, walking and playing fetch with Shadow. That was my day.
by Judy Handley | Dec 5, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 339: Dining-In Group at the Cottage
Date: Monday, December 5, 2022
Weather: Partly Cloudy: High 47, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was my turn to host our dining-in group dinner. It stretches the ability of the cottage to accommodate eight adults for dinner and also make room for a Christmas tree, but I think it went quite well.
Peter and Karen brought the appetizer which was showy and delicious salmon potato bites. Karen stacked the salmon on a slice of roasted red potato, put Crème Fraîche on top of the salmon, then bright red caviar topped with green fresh dill and a final little dollop of wasabi. It was definitely as good as it looked.
My food contribution was lasagna. Bruce and Jane contributed a tasty, as well as a beautiful spinach salad which was topped with crumbled goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, and candied pecans,
Terry and Olivia brought Italian garlic bread,
and Midge provided the dessert, pecan pie with whipped cream.
As always, good company and good food.
The drama today happened early. One of the Goldstone’s cats, Mel, went missing. No one had seen him since just before dinner last night and searching all of the normal places turned up nothing. It was not a happy morning. After school, Heather and Sam came over to borrow Shadow. They though he might be able to help find Mel. He tried, but it was simply another check in the basement that discovered him. We are all greatly relieved that he was found.
Yesterday I noticed that there was a raft of new ducks in the neighborhood. They were there today, but they are such fast swimmers that they were too far away to get a good photo by the time Shadow and reached the water’s edge. From a distance, they look like hooded mergansers to me, but I think hooded mergansers are usually freshwater ducks. I took a photo and if anyone can tell what I was seeing, please let me know.
It would make more sense if they were buffleheads, but I don’t think so. Tomorrow I will try to sneak down earlier without Shadow and get a better photo.
