by Judy Handley | Sep 25, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 268—Tour of the A.D. Makepeace Cranberry Bogs
Date: Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Weather: Overcast, Windy, and Warming; High 68, Low 67 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Cranberry bogs are a common site here on Cape Cod, but today I traveled a few miles north of the Cape with a Newcomers group
to tour bogs that are a part of the largest cranberry growing operation in the world.
A.D. Makepeace Cranberry Company has 2,000 acres of bogs. That more than three square miles. That makes the company not only the world’s largest cranberry grower but also the largest private property owner in eastern Massachusetts. Makepeace is not new to the business. They have been growing cranberries since the 1800’s, but as was pointed out today, cranberries were here before people. They grew around the edges of kettle ponds that were formed by retreating glaciers over 15,000 years ago. Not sure how long cranberries have been here, but it was very special today to learn more about this special plant. It was also interesting to learn how our progressively more intense weather events are affecting crop production. And it was also very interesting to see that the way they harvest the berries is different from the methods I have observed here on the Cape.
I had so many questions, but left the tour early to head back to Falmouth to pick Ollie up at the end of the Early Release Day. Heather stayed home with Jonah this morning and I took over this afternoon. Jonah’s a bit better, but is going stir crazy and will hopefully be able to go back to school tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Sep 24, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 267—Sick Day
Date: Monday, September 24, 2018
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Windy, and Cool; High 61, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
For me, a ‘sick day’ means that I have a sick grandchild that can’t go to school and needs an Oma to stay with him. And so I did. The grandchild was Jonah who has a croupy cough and is extremely low on energy. Heather and Jed made homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast and Jonah, the child with an extreme sweet tooth, couldn’t eat one. That convinced them that he really didn’t feel up to going to school. They stayed with him all morning while I went to the gym for a much needed workout, and then I spent the afternoon and evening Jonah. It was Cub Scout night and Heather, Jed, and Sam all needed to go to run activities. Ollie is now a Tiger Cub and he went to participate. Jonah and I watched a soccer match between Liverpool and Paris St. Germaine, two of Jonah’s favorite teams. During the afternoon we played a very long chess game in which I was destroyed. We had a good time, and I will be glad to go back tomorrow morning if Jonah is still not feeling up to going to school. I have a Newcomers field trip to a Cranberry Bog tomorrow morning, but that can be aborted. In any case, I will be with the boys tomorrow afternoon as it is an Early Release Day. This is a very busy week for Heather and Jed, so I will be spending more time with the boys than usual. Heather is in Boston from Wednesday thru Friday and Jed is in Boston on Thursday. So Oma is on duty! And I love it. And before I left, I got to see Ollie dressed in his Scout uniform for the first time.
As with everything in life, he takes being a Scout very seriously.
by Judy Handley | Sep 23, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 266—Welcome Fall
Date: Sunday, September 23, 2018
Weather: Overcast and Cool; High 66, Low 51 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The weather today was a reminder that the change in the seasons is upon us. It was overcast and cool and felt very much like fall. But fall can also be wonderfully warm and sunny. So I am going to hope that this fall follows the March pattern . . . in like a lion, out like a lamb. I spent my day puttering about and trying to get myself in gear for some work that needs to be done to the cottage before winter. I need to paint the front door, paint the railing that I had installed on the back steps, and paint the door I had installed at the bottom of the bulk head stairs leading into the basement. I need to get the roof and gutters cleaned. And as I discovered today, I need to go up into the attic and make sure a squirrel has not taken up residence. Today I kept hearing thuds on the roof. At one point I heard a thud and looked out the window. I saw a squirrel leaping onto a tree right outside the back door. The squirrel had to be leaping from the roof, so I went out and watched for a bit and did see the squirrel leap once again from roof to tree. But I did not see it leap onto the roof or discover why it was so busy on my roof today. So I’ll need to check the attic soon and make sure it is secure. I also planted mums which definitely made it look like fall in the gardens out front. While working outside, I went over to examine a small tree that in the past few weeks has been steadily leaning further and further into the driveway. The trunk is only 2-3 inches in diameter and it has gone from upright to looking like it is bowing with its head all the way on the ground. Upon close examination, I noticed that the tree is laden with small wine-colored berries.
Maybe those berries are adding enough weight to cause it to lean. I was not familiar with this tree, but in researching I think I have identified it as Elaeagnus umbellata which is known as Autumn Olive or sometimes as Silverberry, probably because the leaves have a silvery undercoating. This is usually a bush growing no higher than 11 feet, but it can grow into a small tree as tall as 30 feet tall. It is invasive, so lovely as it is, if it continues to fall into the driveway, I’ll have to cut it down. Lots of fall chores to keep me busy.
by Judy Handley | Sep 22, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 265—Soccer Saturday and Dinner with Friends
Date: Saturday, September 22, 2018
Weather: Lovely Last Day of Summer; High 73, Low 50 degrees F
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was a lovely last day of summer on the Cape. I always hate to let go of summer, but at 9:54 pm, summer 2018 officially came to an end. But today’s sunshine and deep blue sky filled with wispy wind clouds made for a perfect end to a fun-filled summer.
Today was all about soccer times three. Ollie’s practice and very first scrimmage was at 1:30 pm in downtown Falmouth. Jonah’s game was at 2:00 pm in North Falmouth. And Sam’s game was at 3:30 pm in a totally different part of town. But since they were all in Falmouth, so I got to see half of each game. Jed is no longer the coach for Sam’s team. He is now Ollie’s coach and it was delightful to watch him work with the little ones.
He was so patient with them, made sure to give each child positive encouragement, and they all seemed to have a great time. Today was their first scrimmage and Ollie put his whole heart and soul into it.
He won the toss to be goalie in the second half of the scrimmage and he attacked that position with the same energy.
He’s a good little player and I really enjoyed watching his team. But I had to tear myself away so I could see the last half of Jonah’s game. By the time I got there, it was into the second half and Jonah was the goalie. Those skinny little legs of his look even skinnier when he wears the oversized goalie shirt, but those little legs are super fast.
When Jonah’s game ended, I went home to get ready for my evening dinner at the Woodins and then headed to see the second half of Sam’s game. Sam was playing a great game
until he fell and hurt his foot or ankle. He had to leave the field and I had to leave before the game was over, so I haven’t gotten an update on his injury. He was only limping slightly, so I sure hope he is just fine. From the soccer field, I headed directly to Bruce and Jane Woodins. They hosted our Newcomers Dining-in Club dinner this evening and wanted to take advantage of the warmth and sunlight by having us arrive a little earlier than usual. As always, the food was wonderful and the conversations interesting.
I feel very lucky to be included in this group and always enjoy our time together.
by Judy Handley | Sep 21, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 264—Back Home on the Cape
Date: Friday, September 21, 2018
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Windy; High 69, Low 65 degrees F
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The trip to New Hampshire was short, but it was wonderful to attend the NHPR event and visit with friends Detta Porat and Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg. Alan and Helaine were headed to Maine this afternoon where they keep Atlantis, their sailboat. Tomorrow morning they will take Atlantis up the river to be taken out of the water for this season. We visited a bit this morning and then I headed home so they could get ready to go. Costco is on the way home, so I couldn’t resist a stop. But I still arrived home by late afternoon and had a quiet evening at home.
Yesterday Justin sent a photo of Coco who just lost her first tooth. I sent a message back that Ollie lost his first tooth last week and it is the same one that Coco lost. So being the doting grandmother that I am, I just must share photos of the two showing off their new snaggle tooth smiles!
by Judy Handley | Sep 20, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 263—Celebration, Reflection
Date: Thursday, September 20, 2018
Weather: Mostly Cloudy with Drizzle; High 65, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home with Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg, Bow, NH
Today I drove from Cape Cod to New Hampshire to attend a New Hampshire Public Radio celebration of their successful Campaign for Innovation. The drive gave me a chance to reflect on the fifteen years that Mark and I spent in New Hampshire. When Mark took the job of managing a public radio station in Concord, NH, it was exactly that—one radio station serving Concord and the immediate vicinity. The call letters were WEVO. But it didn’t stay that way long. Mark’s vision for the station was to expand by setting up repeater stations that would provide coverage to all areas of the state. With the help of a supportive Board of Directors, an extremely talented and dedicated staff, and the financial support of listeners, a network of stations was added and WEVO became NHPR, New Hampshire Public Radio. Being the CEO of this operation was not just a job for Mark. Public radio was his passion and I know that tonight he would have been filled with pride to know that his vision is alive and thriving.
The NHPR celebration started at 5:30 pm, but I arrived a couple of hours early so I could meet with my good friend Detta. She teaches in a school just a few miles from the LaBelle Winery where the public radio function was being held. So she met me at the end of her school day and we had a wonderful couple of hours catching up on what has been happening in our lives over the summer. When I arrived at the NHPR celebration, one of the first people I saw was Betsy Gardella.
Photo by Allegra Boverman.
Photo by Allegra Boverman.
But looming over all of this was the fact that one year ago today Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico destroying everything in her path. I did not get to talk to Justin and Jo today, but I know it must have also been a day of celebration and reflection for them and all of the amazingly resilient people of Puerto Rico who survived Maria’s devastation. I can’t imagine that they didn’t spend their day reflecting on the past year, but hopefully they took time to celebrate their successes in overcoming one of the worst natural disasters our country has ever had. At the same time, we all know that way too many people died and way too many are still suffering the consequences with way too little assistance. I felt so fortunate to hear an hour-long program on public radio on my way here today that reported on the current state of things in Puerto Rico from the perspective of young people. We got so many things wrong in dealing with this disaster, but the vision of these young people is still so hopeful. Realistic, but hopeful. And hope is a good thing.
