by Judy Handley | Mar 7, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 66: Stand Up for Science
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
Weather: Overcast, Misty, Foggy, Windy, Chilly Day; High Temp 44, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
The temperature is deceiving. The high temp today was 44 degrees F, but it felt at least 10 degrees colder because of the wind and the moisture laden air. So for today’s Stand Up for Science on the Green, I wore my long underwear!
Today was the second annual national Stand Up for Science day of protest. Last year at this time it we were in the middle of the slash and burn science movement being conducted by the Trump regime. This year we are in the realization stage, hearing from our speakers today about the irreparable damage that has been done to science research and the lives of scientists. But there was also reporting today of how scientists around the world are working together to try and save as much as possible. There was even mention of rebuilding. We are not there yet, but we have to be planning for that. Heather was the first speaker this afternoon. She never ceases to amaze me with her ability to get her message across in dynamic style and today was no exception. She started out as a research scientist, but clearly her path to becoming a science communicator, helping us all understand science, was the right choice for her and for us.
This afternoon, after the protest, I spent my time preparing training sessions for Indivisible Falmouth and starting to working on a jigsaw puzzle for the first time in a year! While I did that, Heather and Jed walked around their yard assessing the tree damage from the storm. They found 12 cedar trees with the main trunk snapped with way more limb loss, 3 willow trees snapped off, and one of their big, beautiful rhododendrons with the trunk broken. And the list went on. Heather also pointed out that there was more damage on this property than I had noticed. I thought the only major damage was the 12-foot top section of a huge juniper that broke off. What I hadn’t noticed was that the trunk of the holly tree behind that juniper was broken in half. With snow melting, the tree damage all around us is becoming more evident. It is going to take a long while to clean up after this one.
by Judy Handley | Mar 6, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 65: Another Birthday Celebration
Date: Friday, March 6, 2026
Weather: Another Rainy, Chilly Day; High Temp 38, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Another chilly, rainy day with another birthday celebration to brighten my day! Tonight, I had dinner with the Goldstones. Heather cooked the traditional Martin (my maiden name) meal—salmon cakes with kale and mashed potatoes. To be the true tradition, it would have been creasy greens, not kale. But creasy greens are definitely a southern thing, not found easily in New England. My gifts were a book with the title TROUBLE MAKER, but they assured me it was about ‘good trouble’! And since I haven’t had time to work a puzzle all winter, I got a puzzle that I can’t resist. It is 32 dog stamps, one of which is a little black doodle that looks just like Shadow. Thank you, Heather, Jed, Jonah, and Ollie.
by Judy Handley | Mar 5, 2026 | Cape Cod, USA |
2026 Life Logs, Day 64: Rainy Day, Sunny Birthday Celebration
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026
Weather: Rainy Day; High Temp 44, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Today was my 79th birthday. Me, oh my, that is a lot of years! The weather wasn’t my favorite–a rainy day that felt colder than the thermometer indicated—but the warmth came tonight in the form of a sunny birthday celebration with friends and family. My dining-in group has been meeting once a month since the summer of 2017 and this March it was my turn to host. I suggested we celebrate Cinco de Marcho with margaritas and Mexican food. So, that we did.
Three of us have birthdays within five days of each other, so we also had birthday cake. Heather, Jed, Jonah, and Ollie came over to join us for cake, and I invited my neighbor Billy to join us as well. He and Shadow were having a boys’ night out in Billy’s studio apartment, but he escaped long enough to have birthday cake with us.
I received two birthday cards today with this message written on the envelope, “Life is a celebration of the soul.” So true.
by Judy Handley | Mar 4, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 63: Prep for Tomorrow
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High Temp 53, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Tomorrow I am hosting my dining-in group for a birthday celebration. One of us had a birthday yesterday, my birthday is tomorrow, and a third has a birthday on Sunday. When I learned that it was my month to host, I suggested this Cinco de Marcho birthday dinner. I spent my day cleaning house, grocery shopping, and prepping the main dish for tomorrow night, as tomorrow, I have meetings all day. It was a rare occurrence to spend most of the day at home. I must try this more often.
I thought a lot about my mom today. March 4 was her birthday. When I was a very young child, I can remember trying to figure out how she could have been born the day before me! Well, I am not going to be 120 years old tomorrow, but Ollie Lillian Martin was born 120 years ago today.
by Judy Handley | Mar 3, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 62: More Meetings
Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Weather: Overcast, Some Snow, Then Rain; High Temp 33, Low 31 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
After the protest training last night, I was drained of energy. And that continued today. I need a day off when I have no meetings, no responsibilities so I can just veg out. But that is not this week.
I had work to do today for the Board of Library Trustees, plus I had a Trustee special meeting this afternoon. And this morning I had a longer than expected meeting with an Encore friend who volunteered to help me with the May program about the history of the Cape Verdean people that settled in Falmouth. So, I went through the motions of the day, but was honestly very unproductive.
And just now, the power went out again. The generator is running and I am taking this as a sign that I need to go to bed and start again tomorrow.
