by Judy Handley | Apr 12, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 102—Costco Trip and Newcomers Meeting
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018
Weather: Partly Sunny; High Temp 50, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
My day involved a trip to Costco which a full hour north of here. So between driving and shopping, that took most of the day. I needed certain vitamin supplements that I buy there, and the price at which I can buy them there justifies the trip. So off I went. And since Home Depot is right next to Costco, I also did a little shopping there. Then this evening I went to a Newcomers monthly meeting. The speaker tonight was an entomologist, Larry Dapsis, from the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension office. The topic was tick-borne diseases and how best to prevent them. The presentation was excellent. The presenter was knowledgeable and presented the facts with humor which made a grim topic most enjoyable. The number of tick-borne illnesses in New England is extremely high and the consequences can be devastating. The most common tick-borne diseases in Massachusetts are Lyme disease, Babesiosis, and Anaplasmosis. And then there are others that are rare, but still occur. Prevention seems to require the use of an insecticide called Permethrin. I’m not a big fan of using insecticides, but in this case, it seems like the only sensible course of action. Lots to think about and research, but while I’m doing that, I want to send a big thank to the Newcomers Programming Vice-Presidents, Jane Murphy and Jane Woodin, for bringing such an important topic before the group.
by Judy Handley | Apr 11, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 101—A Day of Sunshine
Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Weather: Sunny and a Teency Bit Warmer; High Temp 43, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
Today was a sunny day from start to finish, but it was only a teency, weency bit warmer. Tomorrow should be a little bit warmer and Friday even better, but then we start going back down again. But little by little, it will feel like spring at some point.
I spent time today planting garden seeds in indoor seed trays. The hope is to get a headstart by planting small plants, not seeds, in the garden once the weather is warmer. Then I picked Jonah and Ollie up from school and we all went to soccer practice. Sam and Jonah had practice and Ollie took his bike, as well as his soccer gear, to play on his own. He rode his bike on the half-mile track around the soccer fields with Heather running along with him. Then he switched to kicking around a soccer ball.
After Sam and Jonah’s practice sessions were over, we all headed Seafood Sam’s. This is a Falmouth restaurant that was doing a fund-raiser for Sam’s school tonight. The food was standard ‘fish and chips’ with a few healthier options. But it was interesting that Sam noticed that the food was served on Styrofoam plates that he knows are not good for people or for the environment. I suggested he write a proposal to the state legislature to have them write a law banning Styrofoam. Jed had an even better suggestion. He told Sam he could take his proposal to the local government as part of a Scout badge project. There are towns in Massachusetts that have banned the use of Styrofoam products and Sam could bring this forward in Falmouth. I’m all in for that project. Go, Sam!
by Judy Handley | Apr 10, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 100—Gardening Amid Snow Flurries
Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Weather: Partly Cloudy with Snow Flurries; High Temp 40, Low 30 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
I’ve done a lot of things, but I don’t think I have ever planted seeds in a garden with snow flurries in the air. But I did that today. After Tai Chi, I went to Heather’s to do some planting and did it with snow flurries falling. Then I came home and prepared seed trays to do more planting indoors. We are moving forward, despite the cool spring. I got a text this afternoon from friend Jane Woodin inviting me to go to a movie with her tonight. So, I finished up my seed tray prep, went to the gym for a Kick Boxing class, and then headed to Mashpee to meet Jane at the movie theater. It was fun to have a night out with Jane.
by Judy Handley | Apr 9, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 99—Never Have I Ever
Date: Monday, April 9, 2018
Weather: Mostly Sunny, but Still Chilly; High Temp 41, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
There was sunshine today, but it was still chilly and windy. Does not feel like spring! I went to the gym and then spend a few hours with a realtor looking at homes for sale. There are some interesting things out there, but each possibility has some major drawback. So, I think I am going to end my search and either stay put or move to the cottage. I’m waiting to hear specifics from the cottage owner before I make the final decision. Stay tuned.
I rushed home to have a late lunch. While I was eating lunch, I checked in on Facebook and saw that Jo had posted a beautiful picture of Justin, Ziggy, and Coco messing about in a canoe as part of Ziggy’s birthday celebration.
That was one post and then there was a post with a list of “Never Have I Ever” farmy-type experiences.
My response was, “Oh, yes I have.” I read the list and realized I had done almost all of the 26 things listed. How come other people responding had only done one or two? I smiled and realized that not only am I much older than other respondents, I have lived one interesting life. That was all Mark’s ‘fault’. I would never have done any of those things had I not met him. But I enjoyed it all . . . with the exception of the broken egg in my pocket (one of the items on the list). As I wrote in a post on Facebook, it was winter in Minnesota. I walked to the barn to do the chores and put the only egg of the day in my jean’s pocket as my hands were carrying water buckets. When I got back to the house, I forgot about the egg and sat down. Not pleasant! Here’s the list. How many of these things have you done?
I also got a text message from Jo with photos of Ziggy and Coco opening Ziggy’s birthday presents from me and Coco opening her little sister present.
I ordered the things on Amazon and they did arrive on Friday, but the post office in Rincon was behind on sorting and they couldn’t pick the presents up until today. Then I headed to Heather’s to check in on the gardening situation. Heather got lots of things planted yesterday, but there a few more things for me to plant tomorrow. Plus there are seeds that we need to start inside. Now that I have my marching orders, I’ll hope to get things planted tomorrow. Last week I planted cilantro and parsley inside in the big pots that I put on the deck. Both have sprouted and I included seven bean seeds that Jonah foraged from the garden. In one week, these beans are about a foot tall. I think we will have a new story to tell . . . Jonah and the Beanstalk. Today, he found a few more seeds so we will plant them and see what happens. And cold as it felt to me, Jonah and Ollie have decided that it is spring and time to play baseball. Ollie has taken over Jonah’s catcher gear and they are having a great time playing baseball in the backyard. This is a sign of spring.
by Judy Handley | Apr 8, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 98—Dinner at Bleu with Woodins
Date: Sunday, April 8, 2018
Weather: Cloudy AM, Some Sun Late PM; High Temp 41, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
I had dinner tonight at a French restaurant called Bleu with Bruce and Jane Woodin. They took me out to dinner to thank me for watering their plants while they were out of town this winter. I must say, it was a very special treat for doing very little work. The reviews say that Bleu provides a bit of France on Cape Cod. I am no expert on French food, but the food tonight was delicious, and the atmosphere is delightful. Thank you, Bruce and Jane.
Otherwise, my Sunday was very quiet. I just stayed home, did a little cooking and a little catching up on correspondence. I found out late in the day that Heather worked in her garden all day. If I had known, I would have gone over to help. But now all the heavy work is done. She got the entire garden tilled by hand and got the weather-hardy seeds planted. Way to go, Heather! When she called, she did give me a few little garden jobs to do if I want to help out, so I’ll work on those this week.
by Judy Handley | Apr 7, 2018 | 2018 Life Logs |
2018 Life Logs, Day 97—Happy Birthday, Ziggy
Date: Saturday, April 7, 2018
Weather: Cloudy AM, Some Sun Late PM; High Temp 46, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
Happy ninth birthday to Ziggy! I talked to him briefly today and when I asked what he got for his birthday he said, “An electric guitar!” Go, Ziggy. When I was in Puerto Rico, some evenings Ziggy just sat quietly and strummed on a guitar quietly. I’m guessing now that he has an electric guitar the strumming won’t be quite so quiet. I find it hard to believe that it has been nine years since he was born. Mark and I flew home from Malaysia to meet him when he was ten days old. I just read my log from the day we first met Ziggy and it was quite the adventure getting from Malaysia to New Mexico. “Seeing your grandchild for the first time is worth about anything. Even a ferry ride from Rebak to Langkawi . . . a taxi across Langkawi to Kuah . . . a ferry to Penang . . . a taxi from port to hotel . . . a little sleep . . . a taxi to airport . . . a 5-hour flight to Hong Kong . . . a 12-hour flight to Los Angeles—no sleep . . . a bus to train station . . . a Southwest Chief 18-hour train ride to Lamy, New Mexcio—some sleep . . . a shuttle van to Santa Fe . . . and then a walk through the snow with only sandals on. All this and we made it a day sooner than we thought. Somehow we miscalculated not including the day we gained crossing the dateline. So when we called Justin, he was just a little surprised. But he met us on the corner next to our home for the next three weeks and then we walked through the snow to meet Ziggy. Yes, it is snowing here. It probably snowed two-inches today and all of it is hanging on the pine trees. It is beautiful but it is freezing. We opted not to bring any shoes home with us, only the Tevas we were wearing and some wool socks we packed. Bad choice. Our feet were soaked and freezing by the time we got to Justin and Jo’s, but the first look at Ziggy warmed our hearts and our toes. He is so tiny and so beautiful.” Happy Birthday, Z.
02 Oma Holds Ten Day Old Ziggy
The sun made an appearance late this afternoon and I headed over to Heather’s to do some work in her garden. The two of us, with some help from Jonah and Ollie, made the first efforts to get the garden ready for planting. It is past time to plant peas, but it has been so cold that I don’t think they would have sprouted even if we had planted them on St. Patrick’s Day. Heather swears that is the day to plant peas, but not this year. But we will get them planted before April 17th!
