2020 Life Logs, Day 305: I am thankful for . . .
2020 Life Logs, Day 305: I am thankful for . . .
Date: Sunday, November 1, 2020
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 56, Low 36 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
It is the first day of the month of thankfulness, so I started my day by writing my first thankful message on my thankful pumpkin. “I am thankful for . . . my grandchildren who keep me young at heart.” And my day was full of examples. Jonah had a soccer game today but only one parent could attend, so I didn’t get to see him play. But after the game, Jonah and Heather stopped by and I was taken aback a bit when I saw Jonah in his soccer uniform. I have seen him in soccer uniforms since he was three, but today he looked so grown up. Maybe it is the new uniform or maybe he is growing up. Let’s hope it was the uniform. They stopped by to pick up Ollie and Sam who had come over this morning to help me with yard work. We used my new leaf blower to corral the leaves and we used their lawn mower to mulch and bag them. I could do this work by myself, but working with them was so much more fun.
Then this afternoon I had a long Skype video conversation with Justin and family. Coco introduced me to Blanco Brown and his version of the “Git Up” song and choreographed dance. My challenge is to learn the dance and send her a video of the results. Not sure that will happen! Ziggy is working on programming three-dimensional computer games, which I think makes me feel old, not young. But I really enjoy listening to his excitement about his computer programming adventures. I got to see bits and pieces of their Halloween costumes—Justin a unicorn, Coco a vampire, and Ziggy a piggy bank. I didn’t get to see Jo in her costume of gold, but she did join Justin and the three of us had a great conversation. We talked about politics, and on a happier note, we talked about a puppy they were going to meet later in the afternoon. Losing Alfie last week was very traumatic for all. They have known for a while that Alfie’s time was limited, and in anticipation, Jo has been researching livestock guardian dogs that could help protect their animals, especially the goats, from wild dogs in the area. She has been looking at sheepdogs from Turkey and from Italy. And this week she found a male puppy Italian Maremma Sheepdog in the town next door. So, they were going to meet the puppy after our phone call. Jo sent lots of wonderful photos that show it was love at first sight. The puppy is a white fur ball, just as cute as it can be, and now the newest animal acquisition on Finca Maravilla. My favorite photo was one of Justin holding Lenny, the name they chose for new puppy. Justin has always loved animals and he looked particularly joyous holding Lenny. Congratulations to Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco on the new member of their family.
Jed dropped Ollie off with me and we proceeded to have some Fall fun. I bought a leaf blower last Saturday just in time for a week of rainy weather. Ollie has offered to do yard work for me this fall, so he has been anxious to see how the leaf blower works. It is a battery-operated Ryobi, a little heavy, but very quiet for a leaf blower. Ollie had a great time learning to use it this morning. He worked until the battery needed to be charged and then came inside for some hot chocolate to do some Halloween artwork for me. I asked him to decorate three paper lunch bags–one for him, one for Sam, and one for Jonah—that we would then fill with candy. Because the family really wanted to go to a Crooked Coast concert this evening at the Falmouth Drive-in Theater, it was doubtful that they would get to go Trick or Treating. It is probably just as well because of Covid. But because they love Trick or Treating so much, I bought some of their favorite candy to fill the bags. Ollie also had to make a birthday card for his good friend Raylan whose party he was going to attend at 1 pm. It was time for lunch before we knew it and then I took him to Raylan’s house for an outdoor party with all the kids in their Halloween costumes. I came home and tried out the leaf blower. I have always hated them because they are so noisy. But this one is not and I found that it exceeded by expectations. Raking is really hard on my back, but I can use this leaf blower with no problem. Ollie was so cute this morning. He told me to watch him use the leaf blower and then when he is not here, I will know how to operate it. And I must say, he was a good teacher. That was basically my day.
Then mid-afternoon when I went to pick Ollie up after school, I noticed that the raindrops on my windshield were a bit icy. It is only a 4 to 5 minute drive to where I pick up Ollie, but in those few minutes, those icy raindrops turned to snow. By the time Ollie was walking across the street with Mr. Tom to meet me, it was really snowing. As I waited for Ollie to walk across the street, I noticed that he and all the other kids were dressed in their Halloween costumes. Halloween costumes and now just don’t compute. The end-of the-day parade with parents attending had been cancelled due to Covid, but the principal allowed the kids to wear their costumes all day. Gorilla Ollie was in an exceptionally exuberant mood. He had a really great day. I brought Shadow with me today, despite the rain turning to snow, and it was amazing how much the two looked alike. Ollie’s gorilla costume has the exact same look as Shadow’s coat. 
So, when I delivered Ollie home, we went out on the deck to get photos of big gorilla and little gorilla. At first, Shadow tussled with Gorilla Ollie, then he just stared at him, and finally he walked away. I think he figured out it was Ollie and not another dog. Ollie felt a bit rejected, but I’m just glad he got to have a little Halloween fun today.
I have been meeting with this group since July of 2017. I already knew two of the couples, Bruce and Jane Wooden and Terry and Olivia White—but the Baranowski’s and the Frieswyk’s were new to me. We have all become close friends and value our monthly time together. We are all so thankful that Peter and Karen have provided a cozy and Covid-safe environment for our continued meetings. During Covid, we have moved from inside to outside, from dinner to lunch to try and capture heat of the day, and now from outside to inside a double car garage where we keep the garage door open. And now we all bring our own food with someone providing dessert for all. Today the dessert was brought by Bruce and Jane Woodin. It was a flourless chocolate cake, one of my favorites, and it was delicious. The heat of the propane heater was much appreciated and we all got a kick out of Peter, who is 6’8” tall, standing on the garage steps to capture the temperature at the ceiling level of the garage. We are going to try another lunch-in just before Thanksgiving. We will then figure out how we might do this when the weather gets even colder. I am suggesting we dig out our snow pants and jackets and continue meeting. But whatever, thank you, thank you, to Peter and Karen for providing the space.
I used tomatoes from my garden that I harvested in the rain on Tuesday and I still have half of that last harvest to use in another recipe. I also made one of my favorite fall recipes, acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, mushrooms, and cranberries. If it is going to continue to be dreary, I at least have plenty to eat!
