by Judy Handley | Jan 1, 2026 | 2026 Life Logs |
2026 Life Logs, Day 01: First Snow of 2026 and Trip North to New Hampshire
Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026
Weather: Snow Overnight; High Temp 19, Low Temp 3 degrees F in NH
Location: With My Family in Intervale, NH
What a wonderful beginning to 2026! We woke up to a world of white, so Justin, Ziggy, Coco, and Shadow went out to play in the snow and build a snowman. While they were outside, we got another little snow squall, which made it a winter wonderland for Ziggy and Coco. Shadow made snowman building a bit of a challenge as he was determined to wreck it, but the kids were successful!
After playing in the snow, we started the process of packing up to head to New Hampshire for a stay in and Airbnb on the Intervale-Bartlett border and snowboarding at Attitash Mountain Resort. It took us longer to pack than anticipated and about four and a half hours of driving, but we arrived successfully just after sunset. My car was the first to arrive, then Sam and Jonah, with Heather, Jed, and Ollie arriving around 6:30 pm as they had to stop to charge their car. But we had a taco dinner ready for them.
The Airbnb is certainly comfortable enough for the 10 of us. The four boys opted for the bedroom on the top floor with 4 beds. Justin and Jo and Heather and Jed each have a bedroom on the second floor. And Coco and I are in the basement playroom which has a standard sized bed, two bunk beds, and a twin. However, we are having a hard time figuring out how to get the basement up to a livable temperature. By bedtime Heather and Jed think they have it figured it out, but since it is only 58 degrees down here right now, Coco opted for sleeping on the sofa in the living room by the heater for the night. The temp in the basement playroom is rising very slowly, but I opted to sleep down here. I am wearing my heavy sweater to bed and have 3 quilts on top, so I will be warm.
by Judy Handley | Dec 31, 2025 | 2026 Life Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 365: The Last Day of 2025—Happy New Year
Date: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 32, Low Temp 29 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow and JJC&Z on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
2025 was a good year for me personally, but it was a disaster for our country. I have to be optimistic that 2026 will be a better year, but it is going to take all of us to make that happen. In 2025, I went from Co-President of Encore to Past President and VP of Programs. I have very much enjoyed working with Ann Loos to plan all of Encore’s programs and luncheons for 2025-2026. I also ran in my first election (unopposed) to become a Board of Library Trustee and was appointed Treasurer of that group. I participated in Pramila Jayapal’s Resistance Labs and took an idea from a brainstorming session that led me to plan and execute a four-week long film series on Nonviolence in Action. Starting in February, I became active in Upper Cape Indivisible and by September I was working with a group in Falmouth to form our own Indivisible group—Indivisible Falmouth. I am now on the Steering Committee for Indivisible Falmouth and work on communications and education for that group. I also became a member of the Falmouth Immigrant Rights Coalition and serve on their Steering Committee. The sadness and anger and disgust over what is happening to our democracy has cast a terrible shadow over the year. I made the decision early on not to sit around and be depressed about the situation, but to take action and do something, anything. As a result, I have met a whole group of new people, and we are working to build the resistance community in Falmouth. This has kept me so busy that there is no time to sit around and fret about the situation. This was definitely the right choice for me.
The highlights of my year were seeing Willie Nelson in concert in September, attending the high school graduation of my first born grandchild, and seeing in the new year in with my whole family. In June, Sam graduated from high school. That was certainly a major event in my life. The birth of each grandchild was huge, and to see the first one headed out into the world as a young adult was huge for me.
For my birthday in March, Justin sent me two tickets for the Willie Nelson-Bob Dylan Outlaw concert in September, and Justin flew up to attend the show with me. This was the one thing at the top of my bucket list, and I was able to check that one off. Thank you, Justin.
And then what a gift it was that after Christmas Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco flew up from Puerto Rico so that my whole family would be together for the new year. So lots of positives in my life this year of 2025, despite the negatives on the national level.
This New Year’s Eve we celebrated at Heather and Jed’s. Jo suggested we do a fondue for dinner, so we had cheese fondue with veggies and meatballs and bread for dinner, and then chocolate fondue with a huge variety of fruit for dessert. We played games, watched some of the Ohio State and University of Miami football game to try and catch a glimpse of Sam’s friend Robert who is a drummer in the UM marching band, watched Back to Future, and then watched the ball drop in Times Square. It was a Happy New Year’s Eve for all of us. And I wish each of you a healthy and happy 2026.
