by Judy Handley | Oct 15, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 288: Museum on the Green Tour
Date: Thursday, October 15, 2020
Weather: Beautiful Fall Day; High 71, Low 61 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
What a beautiful day, in every way. I attended a morning long tour of the Museums on the Green in downtown Falmouth, had lunch with friends at a Greek restaurant on Main Street, and ended my day by picking Ollie up from school and then taking Ollie and Shadow to the Falmouth Dog Park to play. And yes, I did watch the Joe Biden Town Hall on ABC tonight. or
Good friend Olivia White organized a special tour of the Museums on the Green (MOG) for the Newcomers Teacher Group today. MOG is closed due to Covid except for their outdoor historic walks a few mornings each week. But Olivia was able to arrange for us to do some inside touring, promising that the groups would be limited to four people, all wearing masks. And she also arranged for us to have a presentation by Falmouth artist Karen Rinaldo. In the 1990’s, Karen was commissioned to paint an historically accurate depiction of the first Thanksgiving in 1621. The result changed her life as the painting took on a life of its own. It hung in Plimouth Plantation for 20 years and it was to be on display in the Museums on the Green in Falmouth this summer and on through 2021. Because of Covid, it has been there, but the public has not been able to come in to see it on display. Today, in our small groups, we were allowed to view the painting while having the artist describe to us the process used in its development. Then we took a walking tour around the green, learning more about the history of the people who founded the town and learning the history of the Village Green and the surrounding churches and homes. This included the Congregational Church founded in 1708 housing a bell made by Paul Revere, St. Barnabus Episcopal Church founded 1888, and the first home of Katharine Lee Bates who wrote America the Beautiful. Falmouth is lucky to have such an active historical society that works hard to keep history alive.
When Shadow and I picked Ollie up at the end of the school day, Ollie wanted to go where he could play ball with Shadow. We first went home to check in and then we headed to the fenced soccer fields at Trotting Park. Unfortunately, there was a team practicing, so we couldn’t let Shadow run free. Ollie suggested we try going to the Falmouth Dog Park. I took Shadow there once when he a tiny puppy and neither of us enjoyed that experience. But I was willing to try that again and today’s experience was great. When we arrived there were too many people and dogs in the main area, so we headed to the small dog enclosure. But there were three dogs there that didn’t appear particularly friendly. But the owners were friendly and they suggested we use the area dedicated for dogs new to the park to let Shadow get acclimated. There were no dogs there, so it was perfect. Ollie could use the ChuckIt to throw the tennis balls a long distance and Shadow ignored the dogs in the enclosures on either side and just played ball. Then we saw that the small dog enclosure was empty, so we went there. A bernedoodle named Millie, a cross between a Bernese mountain dog and a poodle, joined us and the two dogs really enjoyed playing together. Then we saw that the main dog area was almost empty, so we all moved to that enclosure. There was a much larger Airedale terrier named Rocky in that enclosure and he immediately established himself as top dog. But that was fine with Shadow and he just continued to romp and play with other dogs that arrived. At one point Rocky almost knocked Ollie over, but Ollie handled it like a pro and declared that he was having a great time. So maybe Ollie and I will take Shadow back to the park after school a couple of afternoons a week. Another great Falmouth treasure.
by Judy Handley | Oct 14, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 287: Planting Strawberries
Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Weather: Sunny; High 67, Low 54 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
What? Planting strawberries in October? Well, yes. And I haven’t lost my mind. It was really transplanting strawberries from summer hanging pots to one of my raised beds. I have no idea how this will affect the plants, but I was afraid that leaving them in the hanging pots for the winter would certainly kill them. These were hanging pots that I planted for Heather’s deck and it just didn’t work out because the birds ate all the strawberries. In the raised bed, I can easily cover the strawberries with netting, so hopefully we’ll get a good crop next summer.
What else did I do today? I harvested basil and made pesto to freeze for use this winter. I used a recipe suggested by friend Jane Woodin. She uses the Moosewood recipe. The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen was first published in the 1970’s. I don’t find my original copy on my cookbook shelf, so I must have given it away. But some of the Moosewood recipes from that book are my lifetime favorites and I think the pesto recipe will be added to my list of favorites. I did a taste test and it was delicious. Jane swears that you can add the parmesan cheese and then freeze it. Others say you should not add the parmesan before freezing. But when I freeze it without the cheese, I always forget to add it later. Sure hope this works.
I had a great Skype call with Justin, Coco, and Ziggy this evening. Jo wasn’t home until the very end, but I did get to say hello to her before we signed off. I also picked Ollie up after school. I took Shadow with me and I introduced Ollie to the new ChuckIt! that helps launch tennis balls for Shadow to fetch. Shadow loves it so much and if you have the ChuckIt! in your hand, he will follow you anywhere. We enjoyed time in the backyard playing catch with Shadow. And I spent a bit of time making donations to the Biden-Harris campaign and to Warren Democrats in honor of my niece Lynn. Lynn worked so hard as an Elizabeth Warren for President volunteer and after Warren got out of the presidential race, Lynn continued to work encouraging people to get out to vote and she worked as a Warren Democrat to get down ballot Democrats elected around the country. So, I felt really good about my time making donations today and thinking about Lynn.
by Judy Handley | Oct 13, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 286: The Loss of Lynn Denise Martin
Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Weather: Pouring Rain; High 64, Low 52 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
My niece, Lynn Denise Martin, passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning. Even when you know the death of someone you love is imminent, it is still difficult to face the finality. But while I was waiting for an annual dermatology examination this morning, I got the call from Lynn’s sister Candi. Candi explained that Lynn’s mother, my 86 year-old sister-in-law Sue, would be flying home to Florida tomorrow morning at 5:30 am. So I rushed home to pick up the eggplant parmesan I made on Sunday for her and I headed to Billerica, north of Boston. We went out to lunch twice in the past couple of weeks. Both times she wanted eggplant parmesan and neither restaurant had that as an offering. So I wasn’t going to let her go home without sampling it. That, plus I just needed to be close to family. I’ve written here before that my brother died when I was a senior in high school and Sue moved back home to Massachusetts with her three children. But my family kept in close contact over the years. Lynn was 10 years old when her father died. She was the first of the 11 grandchildren my parents would eventually have.
I was seven when Lynn was born and 17 when she moved back to Massachusetts. The most memorable thing about her as a young child was just how very smart she was. She loved to watch television and memorized the commercials. My sister Patsy tells of a time when took three-year-old Lynn to the grocery store. Lynn saw a man buying cigarettes and she told her Aunt Patsy she had to go tell him something. Before Patsy could stop her, little Lynn walked over to the man and told him he should consider buying the new brand with a flip top. Her advice to the man was, “It’s much easier to get the cigarettes out.”That was Lynn. She became a writer and spent her career as an editor for the College Board, for IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and for Harvard Public Health. She was deeply political and most recently volunteered for the Elizabeth Warren campaign. In the first year that Mark and I were sailing around the world, she flew to Samoa to visit with us. I choose to share some photos of her on that trip here as they are show what she loved doing. She would get up early every morning to write and loved spending time reading on the beach. And like me, she loved history and was very excited about climbing Mount Vaea to visit the tomb of Robert Louis Stevenson. Engraved on that tomb are the words of his epitaph, written by him. “Here (s)he lies where (s)he longed to be, Home is the sailor, home from sea, And the hunter home from the hill.”
by Judy Handley | Oct 12, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 285: Another Day Comes and Goes
Date: Monday, October 12, 2020
Weather: Overcast with a Few Sprinkles; High 57, Low 52 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
It amazes me how the days come and go and I have very little to show for it. But despite that, I had a good day. I took advantage of Heather and Jed being away and made use of their washer and dryer today to do a couple of laundry loads of those things you only wash a couple of times year—a winter jacket, a comforter, etc. Running back and forth did take a great deal of the time. I also cleaned the guinea pig cages and washed the liners. And I spent time walking with Shadow and playing catch. That was about it except for the time spent in communication, phone calls and texting, with family members. And there were emails to friends. My niece Lynn is still holding on. My sister Patsy was planning to make the trip from Nashville to Charlotte on Wednesday to visit with my niece (her daughter) Jennifer, but Patsy had to go to Urgent Care today and found she has a urinary tract infection. She has put that trip on hold for now. So goes a day in the life.
by Judy Handley | Oct 11, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 284: Congratulations to Sarah and Christian
Date: Sunday, October 11, 2020
Weather: Cooling Down; High 65, Low 48 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Good news for a change. My dear friend Detta called this afternoon to ask if I have been getting her texts. Well, no. I got a text from here on Thursday asking about my nieces, but that was it for a text from Detta on my new phone. When I had to get the new phone, I lost my contacts and all prior texts. Evidently Detta sent me a couple of very important texts during the days when I still had the old phone but couldn’t use it because I couldn’t see the screen. Anyway, during tht time she had texted to tell me that her daughter Sarah got married. Sarah and Christian quietly slipped away to a beautiful mountain top in Ashville, North Carolina, to exchange vows. And I missed the whole thing! Sarah moved to Ashville a couple of years ago after graduating from college. She met Christian there and they have been together since.
But in September, they decided it was time to tie the knot and move back to New Hampshire. Congratulations to the bride and groom. And congratulations to the parents of the bride, Detta and Tom. They are so delighted that Sarah and Christian are moving to New Hampshire and will live close by. I couldn’t be happier for all of them.
I started my day down by the dock with Shadow. My new neighbor, Andrew, had offered to show me some of his dog training techniques. After a few minutes, he agreed that Shadow certainly wants to run the show, but I did get some helpful ideas. I spent the rest of the day going to Heather and Jed’s to feed the guinea pigs and do some laundry and coming home to cook while waiting to hear from about my nieces. Hospice called my niece Lynn’s immediate family this morning to tell them to come as it looked like she would pass at any moment. But tonight she is still holding on and the wait continues. I talked to my niece in Charlotte who had surgery this week and found out that she was being released today. She had emergency surgery on Tuesday to have a large tumor that was laying on her spine removed. The surgery to remove her left kidney that was scheduled for this week has been delayed and we are just waiting for the results of the biopsy to find out what her next steps will be. Lots of tense waiting time. That’s why I decided to spend my afternoon cooking. I made eggplant parmesan and a lasagna using thin sliced zucchini instead of pasta. I hope to take the eggplant parmesan to my sister-in-law and I’ll try the zucchini lasagna and share it with the Goldstones upon their return from Maine tomorrow evening if it is a success.
by Judy Handley | Oct 10, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 283: Memories from 56 Years Ago
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2020
Weather: Warm and Windy; High 69, Low 54 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
I was talking to my sister tonight and I asked her when she last talked to her best friend from high school, a friendship that continued throughout their adult lives. But evidently when my sister moved to Tennessee in 2015 and my brother-in-law got so sick, she lost contact. The cell phone number she has just isn’t working. I didn’t know this until I asked the question tonight, so when we got off the phone, I sent a Facebook message to the Mayor of Nitro, West Virginia, asking him if he could help me find out the current whereabouts of Bob and Helen Strickland. For some reason, he is a friend of mine on Facebook. Amazingly, two seconds later he got back to me saying that he will check into it for me but that he believes they still live at the address I sent to him. It is at times like this that I absolutely love Facebook.
My sister Patsy was 16 and Helen was 15 in the spring of 1950. They were best friends attending Nitro High School when Helen and Bob got married. My sister was their witness and their friendship continued for 65 more years until they lost contact. I really hope the mayor can help me get them back together.
This all came up because yesterday my sister-in-law asked if Helen was still living. I had not heard otherwise, so I said that I thought so. But that caused me to inquire. My sister-in-law also pointed out that it will 56 years on Monday that my brother Bennie, her husband, died suddenly of pancreatitis when he was just 33 years old. That Monday was October 12, 1964, exactly one year from this coming Monday. Thinking about that brought back vivid memories of that time. Bennie and Sue and their three children lived close to my parents in Nitro. I was a senior at Nitro High School and it was the weekend for decorating floats for Homecoming on the following weekend. I was a cheerleader and all members of the squad were spending the weekend together. We worked all of Friday evening on the floats and then went to a fellow cheerleaders house to spend the night. I could see my house up on the hill from the front yard of where we were staying. We stayed up half the night and I kept wondering why the porchlight was on at my house all night. But the next day there was an afternoon football game followed by more decorating and another night at the friend’s house. When I went home on Sunday morning, I found out that my brother had been hospitalized on Thursday, had almost died on Friday night, but was recovering. I was told that no one had told me so I wouldn’t worry, but I was not happy and really wanted to see my brother. I went to the hospital and had a nice visit with him. He made fun of me for having my hair in a ponytail on the top of head and we laughed together. He had an infectious laugh that always made me so happy and I left the hospital thinking he was just fine. But when I got home from school on Monday, no one was there. Everyone was at the hospital because my brother had died. What a tough life lesson. Life is not guaranteed. It can go away in an instant. Now 56 years later, we are waiting to hear about the passing of his daughter Lynn, only 66 years old. It doesn’t sound like she will make it to Monday, but it will be very ironic if she does and then dies on the same day—October 10th and a Monday—56 years apart.
On a happier note, I met a new neighbor today. I live next door to Shirley, the women who owns the cottage I rent, and the house next door to her sold recently. When I was walking Shadow down the street yesterday morning before heading north to Boston, I saw a young man, about the age of Heather and Jed, park his fancy sports car with a New York license plate next to the house that just sold. For two weeks, workers have been installing a new septic system in the front yard and I saw him walk up to one of the workmen and start talking. So I figured he might be the new owner. I didn’t see his car when I walked Shadow this morning, so I assumed he had left. But then this afternoon when I was playing ball with Shadow down by the dock, the young man walked out to his dock. We introduced ourselves and had a great conversation. He and his wife are originally from England but have most recently been living just north of New York City with their three children, almost the same ages as Sam, Jonah, and Ollie, but two girls who are 8 and 14 with an 11 year-old boy in the middle. He closed on the house yesterday and will meet with the construction crew on Monday morning that will renovate the entirety of the inside of the house over the next few months. When that is done, the family will move in full-time. So many of my neighbors are summer residents only, so it was great to learn that I will have another year-round neighbor.
