by Judy Handley | Feb 4, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 35: Feels a Bit Like Spring
Date: Monday, February 4, 2019
Weather: Partly Sunny, Feels Like Spring; High 51, Low 35 degrees F
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today felt a bit like spring. I know this is just a cruel joke Mother Nature is playing on us, but I’ll take it. A warm day or two in the middle of winter is welcome in my world anytime. The warmth today did motivate me to start thinking about spring gardening. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, it is actually time to start pepper and tomato seedlings indoors. And by the end of February, there is a longer list of seeds to plant. So it is time to gear up for spring, and then brace ourselves for the winter yet to come.
Not sure what I accomplished today, but I did get to the gym to use the stationary bike. I am increasing the amount of time slowly and will also start increasing the resistance. But this knee of mine requires that I do this very slowly. Tomorrow is an Early Release Day for the Goldpebbles, so I will be picking them just after noon and spending the afternoon with them.
by Judy Handley | Feb 3, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 34: Super Bowl LIII
Date: Sunday, February 3, 2019
Weather: Partly Sunny, Continuing to Warm Up; High 39, Low 35 degrees F (in Nyack)
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
They did it again! I got home late in the afternoon from New York and headed to the Goldstones to watch the Super Bowl. Heather and Jed had invited neighbors that have two boys, so we had five boys 13 and under.
Maybe it wasn’t the most exciting football game I’ve ever watched, but when you live in Massachusetts, there is a special pride when the New England Patriots win yet another Super Bowl. They are proof of the success team work can bring. Go Patriots!!! And when I got home from New York late this afternoon, I saw that Punxsutawney Phil failed to see his shadow yesterday. Do you really think we can win the Super Bowl and have an early spring?
by Judy Handley | Feb 2, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 33: In Memory of Ed
Date: Saturday, February 2, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Warmer; High 30, Low 25 degrees F (in Nyack)
Location: At Home with Lynne Kirwin, Nyack, NY
This morning I drove from the Cape to Nyack, New York, to attend the memorial service for Ed Kirwin. Mark and I got to know Ed and Lynne as we sailed across the Indian Ocean together. We met in Malaysia and spent time together in Thailand before taking off for our Indian Ocean adventure. Ed and Lynne’s boat, Constance, and our Windbird were so perfectly matched in terms of speed that we couldn’t lose each other if we tried! Just as our boats became ‘buddies’, so did we. We sailed to India for a six week stay, down to the Maldives, on to Chagos where we spent two months, then to Madagascar for four months, and finally on to South Africa. The words people used today when talking about Ed at the memorial service described him as we all knew him—always a smile, always a gentleman, always kind, caring, and supportive. He loved to share his stories of the 17 years that he and Lynne spent sailing around the world and used those story telling opportunities to help people see the beauty in people around the world. When Ed found out he had cancer in the spring of 2015, he and Lynne left Constance on land in southern Georgia and moved to Nyack, New York, close to family and new friends they would make. Lynne starting volunteering with the Soup Angels at a local church who serve two meals a week to the homeless and needy. Ed helped out when he could, especially at the street fairs where he was very effective in getting donations to fund the Soup Angels. He and Lynne volunteered at the local library, sorting books for the annual book sale. They became an integral part of the community and Lynne wanted to have Ed’s memorial in the church community room where the Soup Angel’s serve the homeless. The Soup Angel volunteers offered to host and it was a beautiful affair in just the right atmosphere to honor Ed’s life. The large room was the perfect size for those who gathered and was artfully decorated by the Soup Angels and the tables were laden with all sorts of yummy nibbles. There were photos of Ed, and family and friends spoke about the goodness Ed brought to this world. As people mingled and talked, Ed’s favorite music played in the background, and as if perfectly cued by Ed, his very favorite came near the end of the afternoon. The song was “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli. Lynne had held up so beautifully all afternoon, but this song that Ed had requested brought a few tears. Ed’s gentle presence in the world will be sorely missed by all of us. Later in the evening, Lynne took all of the family members and a few friends out to dinner. It was a huge group and we ate, drank, and mingled all evening. I especially enjoyed getting to know Lynne’s nephew, Jeremy, who flew in from Michigan.
Lynne will have a gathering there in warmer weather, but Jeremy felt especially close to his Uncle Ed and came to represent Lynne’s family. The entire day and evening was a perfect celebration of the life of Edward John Kirwin.
by Judy Handley | Feb 1, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 32: One Month Down
Date: Friday, February 1, 2019
Weather: Sunny and COLD; High 23, Low 11 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I feel like time is in super drive these days. It seems to me that we welcomed in the New Year just a few days ago. But now it is February–one month down and only eleven to go in 2019. Today fit the super drive pattern. It was morning, and then all of a sudden it was evening. Where does the time go? I worked on my impossible puzzle this morning and made almost no progress. I’m going to have to call in forces. Then I visited with Shirley and Doris next door. They seem healthy and happy right now—no easy feat when you are in your nineties and a hundred years old! They played gin rummy with their in-home help this morning and laughed so hard they cried. I’m going to have to join them some Friday morning. Laughing is good. I then went to the gym to put my time in on the stationary bike, did some shopping, picked up a few things I need for my trip to New York, and then headed home. It wasn’t a productive day, but it was sunny, a tad bit warmer, and I was relaxed and happy. Off to New York early in the morning. Life is good.
by Judy Handley | Jan 31, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 31: Sunny, Freezing, and Busy
Date: Thursday, January 31, 2019
Weather: Sunny and COLD; High 15, Low 3 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Too busy living life to write about it tonight! I thought I had nothing to do today, but things came up making it a busy one. Tomorrow I will spend time getting ready for my trip to Nyack, New York, on Saturday for Ed Kirwin’s memorial service. I had hoped that it was going to warm up a bit tomorrow, but I just checked the weather and we are still going to be in the deep freeze tomorrow and tomorrow night. Maybe Saturday.
