by Judy Handley | Nov 2, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 305: Darkness Comes Early Now
Date: Sunday, November 1, 2026
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 55, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA
Spring Forward, Fall Back. So, last night we ‘fell back’ by moving our clocks back one hour to Eastern Standard Time. That made for a bright morning, but sunset was at 4:38 pm with last light at 5:06 pm. Darkness coming in the late afternoon is not my favorite thing, so I just have to look forward to March when we go back to Daylight Savings time and later sunsets.
I spent three hours of my day knocking on doors to remind people that have not yet voted that Tuesday is the day. I have committed to doing another door knocking shift and that will end by newfound canvassing ‘career’. Canvassing for political candidates is something that I had only done one time before this election cycle. In 2004 I was convinced by my niece Lynn to knock on doors one afternoon in New Hampshire when Bob Kerry was running against George W. But in August of this year, I realized that knocking on doors and talking to people face to face is the most effective way of getting the word out about candidates. People don’t read the campaign literature sent in the mail. Phone calling can be effective if people answer their phones, but most people do not these days. That leaves door knocking. Some choose not to answer their doors, but most do and most are appreciative of information about the candidates. I have learned so much by talking to people while canvassing. But that said, I will be glad when tomorrow’s last shift is done. And like everyone in this country, I will really be glad when this election is over and done. But we all know that will not be on Tuesday. It will not be over until those people that win on Tuesday are certified and seated in January. Then, hopefully, we can breathe a sigh of relief as we begin the work of putting this country back together. At least that is my optimistic hope.
Today was also Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. I had dinner at the Goldstone’s tonight, and we had a toast to celebrate those who have left us and are now our guardian angels. We also celebrated that Jonah sent off his first college applications for early action (not early decision) and Ollie got a snowplow blade for this lawn tractor.
by Judy Handley | Oct 31, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 304: A Halloween Treat
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Weather: Sunny but Cooler; High Temp 54, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA
I am giving myself a Halloween treat and taking the night off. I’ll be back tomorrow!
by Judy Handley | Oct 30, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 303: Last Day of Noon at Noonan, Visit with Patsy
Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
Weather: So Warm and Beautiful; High Temp 69, Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA
Today was the last day of early voting in Falmouth, so it was the last day of Noon at Noonan. I stayed at Peg Noonan Park alone and sent the other three people to stand at the entrance to Town Hall where people vote early. We all had signs that announced the “last day” of early voting, but almost everyone I talked to today has already voted. The weather was gorgeous and it actually felt hot. It was almost 70 degrees and those of us who came to stand out today were dressed for cooler weather.
I am so glad I decided to do the daily stand out. A few people today stopped to tell me that they voted early because they saw us standing there every day. Other people took time today to say that the information on the ballot questions that we distributed was so very helpful. A big thank you to those who joined me during the past two weeks—Jennifer Owens, Luean Anthony, Mo Lewis, Kathy Shaffer, Michael Lambert, and Sandy Faiman-Silva joined me on multiple days. Thank you, thank you.
As I did the noon time walk to Town Hall today, I took time to take photos of the Halloween decorations. My favorite has been right beside me for all 12 days of Noon at Noonan … Lady Liberty. But seashell mermaid came in as a close second.
I was going to go home afterwards, but it was so warm and beautiful that I decided to go visit with my sister and take her outside in the garden to enjoy the sunshine. We had a wonderful time together in the sunshine and then I took her inside for a Halloween party. I didn’t stay for the party, but she was enjoying watching as everyone came in and put on a pair of crazy Halloween glasses. Patsy chose to be a pumpkin! And I told her she was a perfect match for her great-grandson Jack. Patsy’s granddaughter, Jessica, sent a photo of baby Jack as a jack-o-lantern!
by Judy Handley | Oct 29, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 302: Noon at Noonan, Trip to Hyannis, Chores at Home
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026
Weather: Yet Another Beautiful Fall Day; High Temp 64, Low 53 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA
Last week was windy, windy, but this week, we have been so lucky to have such beautiful weather for the daily standout at Peg Noonan Park. Tomorrow is the last day of early voting, so it will be the last day of Noon at Noonan. When the clock struck 1 pm today, we closed up shop and I then headed to Hyannis. When I called Lens Crafters this morning to say it had been more than 20 days and was only supposed to be 10 days to pick up the new glasses, they said they emailed me. Somehow, I missed that email, but now I have them. When I got home, I took Shadow outside and I started the process of ‘winterizing by disconnecting all of the outside water hoses. I waited until it was very chilly last year and learned that coiling hoses in cold weather is no fun at all. So, I plan to get it done this year while it is still warm. I then ended my day making signs for last day of early voting. It was not an exciting day, but I got things done while enjoying this wonderful weather.
by Judy Handley | Oct 28, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 301: Heartbreaker
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Weather: Another Beautiful Fall Day; High Temp 57 Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth MA
The last regular season game for the Falmouth High School boys’ soccer team was played tonight on Martha’s Vineyard. And it was a heartbreaker. Jed, Ollie, and I took the 3:45 ferry over to the island and arrived right on time for the 5 pm game. After Monday night’s game, much of the team bleached their hair white, so the first adjustment was to figure out who was who. The team members look quite different as “bleached blondes.” Both teams came on the field determined to win. Martha’s Vineyard made the first goal. Falmouth came back in the second half to make it 1-1. You could see that they were putting their hearts and souls into this game, but their determination was matched by the MV players. In the last few minutes, Martha’s Vineyard scored again. Falmouth tried to come back, but they simply ran out of time. The Clippers will still be in the state finals, and hopefully I won’t have to watch another game as heartbreaking as this one.
So that was the end of my day. Going back to the beginning, I was on an Indivisible Falmouth Steering Committee Zoom meeting early. All Indivisible groups on the Cape are trying to prepare for what actions we will take in response to any election issues next week. It is truly difficult to plan for a rapid response when you don’t know what it will be in response to or when it will happen. But that is the state of play right now. Nevertheless, the Zoom meeting ended about 15 minutes early, giving me just enough time to drive to my old neighborhood in East Falmouth on the Eel River to say hello to my former neighbor and friend, Andrew Dearman. He contacted me earlier to let me know he was in town, but this was my only chance to see him. I visited with him longer than I should have, making me a bit late for Noon at Noonan. But I texted Mo Lewis, who I knew was coming today, and she held down the fort until I got there. Again, the weather was beautiful and afterwards I headed home to play outside with Shadow before heading to Woods Hole with Ollie and Jed for the trip to Martha’s Vineyard.
