by Judy Handley | Oct 1, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 273—Another Happy Birthday Wish
Date: Sunday, September 30, 2018
Weather: Another Beautiful Day; High 68, Low 55 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Here’s to Heather . . . another Happy Birthday wish. We celebrated yesterday, but today was her real birth date. She chose to spend it working about the house rather than relaxing—way too much like her mother. But she did stop working mid-afternoon and took off all by herself with the three boys to go fishing and to have a simple picnic dinner at the beach. I surely hope that all went well. I know from experience that fishing with the three boys can be a challenging experience. So I will be anxious to hear how that went. In any event, I wish the happiest of happy to Heather in her next year of life.
I worked on projects at the Cottage in the morning, went over to Heather’s to help out a bit in the afternoon, and then went to the hospital to visit with Shirley, the woman from whom I rent the cottage. She had a heart attack last week and is struggling with recovery. She wanted to know all about how I have been spending my time and I shared with her that I have been picking apples off the ground from a big, old tree in her yard to make apple sauce. And when I left, I asked if there was anything I could do or get for her. All she asked for was some homemade applesauce. She is sure hospital food is trying to do her in and that homemade applesauce will make things better. So I’ll can some small jars and take them to her tomorrow afternoon.
From the hospital, I drove to Woods Hole to have dinner aboard S/V Star with Irene and Steve Macek. For more than thirty years, they have been sailing back and forth between Woods and the Caribbean, except for the years they spent sailing around the world. They spend their summers aboard their beautiful 3-masted sailboat, Star, in Eel Pond in Woods Hole, and their winters at their home on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean. Mark and I got to know them when we were living aboard in Woods Hole and Mark was working at West Marine. It has been much too long since we have been together, so tonight was a very special evening on Star. Irene served a wonderful dinner and we really enjoyed the time to just sit and talk. Woods Hole is a small village and neighbors do just stop by to say hello. So tonight the man who is the principal engineer in WHOI’s Deep Submergence Lab dropped by to say farewell to Irene and we all enjoyed talking about sailing. Irene is flying home to England tomorrow and when she returns, Steve will have Star ready for the sail back to the Caribbean. I am contemplating meeting Windbird in Nevis in January and will Steve and Irene in their home there if I make that decision. They made it sound very inviting, so hopefully that plan will work out.
by Judy Handley | Oct 1, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 274—A Day with Ollie
Date: Monday, October 1, 2018
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Rain Late Afternoon; High 70, Low 57 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Ollie’s cold finally got the best of him, so Heather decided not to send him to school today. I had said yesterday that I would be glad to stay with him if he didn’t go to school, so that is what I did. He didn’t even wake up until after 9 am and Heather stayed home with him until I got back from my class at the gym. We worked a puzzle and then went to my house to get what we needed to make chili for lunch (Ollie’s request). After lunch Ollie took a very long, hot bath and then took a much needed two-and-a-half hour nap. He resisted the idea of taking a nap, so I struck a deal with him. I gave him 30 minutes of screen time on Granddad’s tablet in trade for a 30-minute nap . . . and the deal was more than successful. When he got up, he had enough energy to go to his Tiger Cub meeting tonight. I’m still on call for tomorrow, but I think he will be fine to go to school. He just needed a day of rest and I really enjoyed just hanging out with him. When I left tonight, he asked if I would consider buying a house closer to his house. He explained that he wants to be able to walk or ride his bike to my house. That kid sure knows how to pull the heart strings of his Oma.
by Judy Handley | Sep 29, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 272—Happy Birthday to Heather . . . One Day Early
Date: Saturday, September 29, 2018
Weather: Beautiful Day; High 71, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
This evening we celebrated Heather’s birthday one day early since Jed will not be home tomorrow. I attended Ollie’s soccer game at noon,
went home to continue a ‘redecorating’ project in The Cottage, and then went to Jonah’s soccer game at 4 pm.
Sam’s game was off-Cape today, so Jed took him while the rest of us stayed home for Jonah’s game. After the game, Heather headed home with Jonah and stopped to pick up an ice cream pie for dessert
while I drove into town to pick up the sushi for our birthday dinner. We had a wonderful dinner and afterwards Heather opened her presents . . . jewelry from Jed, a cashmere sweater from me, and a chocolate milk maker/milk frother from the boys.
Then the Keefe’s from next door joined us for birthday ‘pie’.
It was a beautiful day in every way. And as a footnote, I must add that when I went to pick up the sushi, I found myself staring at the first tree I have seen displaying full fall colors.
by Judy Handley | Sep 28, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 271—Democracy is Messy
Date: Friday, September 28, 2018
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 62, Low 53 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The nature of democracy makes it a messy affair. Our democracy has not been working very well for some time now and somedays it seems hopeless. But in all of that messiness, today I feel like we witnessed one tiny little glimmer of hope. I have been opposed to Judge Kavanaugh from the beginning because of his written opinions on Presidential power. But no matter what side you are on with this Supreme Court nomination and no matter what the reason, I would think that yesterday’s hearings gave you reason to pause and reassess. Nevertheless, this morning, it seemed like it was a done deal. Then democracy kicked in. People protesting in the halls outside the hearing room, two women passionately making their case to a Senator in an open elevator door, a Senator from one party reaching out to his friend across the aisle . . . all of these things that are an integral part of a living, breathing democracy . . . all of these things turned the tide this morning resulting in an reopening of an FBI background check on Brett Kavanaugh. I have no idea if this FBI investigation will change things, but I personally think it was the only respectful way to move forward. So, I celebrate this victory for democracy tonight.
Today, other than being riveted to democracy in action on television all morning and into the afternoon, I had mid-afternoon coffee with friends Karen and Peter Baranowski, and then picked Jonah and Ollie up from school. Heather was headed home from Boston, but sent a text saying that traffic was going to keep her from making it in time to pick up the boys. I was glad to pick them up and stay until she got home. Once Heather reached the Cape, she called again to say that she needed to drive to Woods Hole to take care of something at work. When she did get home, we had a little time to talk as the boys were playing next doors. Heather is out of town for part of next weekend and then all of the following weekend and we were able to discuss the details of childcare needs while she is out of town. We also made birthday plans for this weekend. Heather’s birthday is on Sunday, but since Jed is attending a conference starting Sunday morning, she plans to celebrate tomorrow night after an afternoon of soccer. I offered to pick up sushi for dinner and I look forward to that!
by Judy Handley | Sep 27, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 270—Fitfusion, Senate Hearings, Fun with the Goldpebbles
Date: Thursday, September 27, 2018
Weather: Most Sunny and Warm; High 72, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
My day was all over the place. I started by going to a class at the gym that is new for me. It is called Fitfusion and is half spin on a stationary bike and half core strengthening. I have to modify the bike spin due to my left knee, but otherwise it was a good class. After the class, I came home and turned on the TV to watch the Senate hearings. I only got to watch Christine Blasey Ford, so I’ll make no comment about the Supreme Court nominee . But one thing is certain. History was played out on our TV screens, phones, and tablets today and it became evident that the divide in our country was deepened further. The reason I didn’t get to watch Kavanaugh was that I had to go pick up Jonah and Ollie at the end of the school day and then spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with the Goldpebbles. Heather and Jed were both at MIT in Cambridge attending the 50th Anniversary of the MIT-WHOI (Massachusetts Institute of Technolology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Joint Program. Both are graduates of this program and Heather was asked to one of the speakers. Jed said her presentation went well and he was appreciative that I was able to stay with the boys so he could attend. It was soccer practice evening which was made ‘doable’ by other parents who helped out. Sam was picked up at 4:45 and then Ollie and I left at 5:10 to take Jonah to his practice. We stayed and watched 15 minutes of Jonah’s practice
and then headed back to Falmouth to pick Sam up.
While waiting for Sam, Ollie had fun playing on the Morse Pond Playground.
When Sam, Ollie, and I got home, we quickly got dinner on the table and ate as soon as Jonah was delivered home by another parent. The boys had requested pasta for dinner. Sounds simple, but Ollie and Sam like meat sauce on their pasta. Jonah only eats pasta with black olives and parmesan cheese. And I don’t eat pasta! But with all of our different requirements, we had a great dinner and the boys ate voraciously. After the boys went to bed, I made Toll House Squares for Sam to take to school tomorrow. His class has a monthly birthday celebration for kids with birthdays in that month and tomorrow it is Sam’s turn to bring the goodies. My sister Patsy used to make Toll House Squares and send them to me during finals when I was in college. A couple of years ago, I made Toll House Squares for Sam and they have become his requested favorite.
I am now home and watching cable news to catch up on what I missed in the afternoon hearings. Not pretty.
by Judy Handley | Sep 26, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 269—Southwest Winds Bring Warmth for Today
Date: Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Weather: Warm SSW Winds—One Day Only; High 77, Low 62 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Two days ago I caved and closed all the windows that have been open all summer and actually turned on the heat. Then this morning I walked out the door and was hit with a wall of warmth. South southwest winds brought warmth for today, but unfortunately the wind switches back to the north bringing back cooler temperatures. I didn’t take full advantage of the warm weather today as I spent most of my day inside, but every time I walked out the door I loved that warm wind.
My time today was spent trying to catch up with life. I made a decision to not go on the Danube river cruise next fall and cancelled that reservation. I certainly made other progress but have miles to go before I really catch up. I put all of my focus on grandkids during the summer and let some of the details of bill paying issues go by the wayside. It is unbelievable to me, but two years after Mark’s death, I am still having issues with monthly bill pays going to old accounts, not the new. Comcast was threatening to take away my cable service, because payments have been going to my old account, not the new one. I have dealt with this two times previously, but was not successful. Hopefully today, I got the problem solved. Another recent issue had to do with EZ Pass. Even though I paid off my car debt after Mark died, I own the car but the title is still is in his name. And that means my EZ Pass is in his name with auto payments coming from his bank account that no longer exists. I got notice of this in late August, but didn’t have time to deal with it. On my road trip south recently, I was sure that red lights were going to flash as I went through toll areas. Today I dealt with getting payments rearranged, but I still need to go to Motor Vehicles to get the car title changed. Life goes on.
