by Judy Handley | Apr 11, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 102: Moving Day 2
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2020
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 54 degrees, Low 48 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The U-Haul truck didn’t get returned at 10 am this morning. Heather and Jed decided to keep it for one more day to move more of the ‘big stuff’. Heather returned it at 6 pm this evening and I know she and Jed are totally exhausted. They have worked so hard for two full days with not a minute of down time. They will take a break from moving things tomorrow to celebrate Easter and get the things they have moved to the new house organized. Then Monday it is back to work and school at home for the week. Lots of progress is being made, but the move is not done yet. Maybe by the end of next weekend. My back is tenuous, but it is hanging in there letting me move at the speed of a turtle. I am still helping out, but everything takes a lot longer with my back issue. It is killing me that I am watching Heather and Jed work so hard and I can’t be more helpful.
Heather. Jed, and boys will do their annual Easter Egg hunt in the morning in the yard of their new home and then Shadow and I will join them for dinner. When I left there this evening, Ollie assured me that the Easter Bunny would find them at their new address and then he got that twinkle in his eye and added, “Mommy and Daddy will make sure of that.” I do believe he was telling me that he knows there really is no Easter Bunny, but he will play along. The little ones grow up way too fast.
by Judy Handley | Apr 10, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 101: Moving into 43 Grasmere
Date: Friday, April 10, 2020
Weather: Mostly Overcast, Mid-Day Hail; High 48 degrees, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was a Good Friday in more ways than the traditional. It was a good Friday for the Goldstones. Exhausting, sometimes frustrating, but a good day because they are spending their first night in their new home. The frustration was that there was just no way that Heather, Jed, and boys could get everything loaded into the U-Haul in one day. They got the main furniture moved, but there are lots of bits and pieces still to go. Thankfully, they don’t have to be out of the house they are selling until near the end of the month. But it is exhausting to think that this moving will continue on and on. They will get there; it just seems so hard right now.
I started my day by heading straight to the new house to unload my car that we had packed last night. On the 4th box, I did it. I lifted just the wrong way and out went ye old back. Really bad timing. I can still function, albeit a bit bent over, so there will be no more lifting for me for a while. What a bummer. I can still be helpful with cleaning and organizing, but it does slow things down a little bit to have one less person to carry things. Nevertheless, I continued to unload the car and then headed to what I’ll call the old house. Once there, I found everyone just a bit fragile. It had finally hit all of them that they were leaving the only home they have ever known as a family. The wonderful memories will go with them to the new house, but parting is such sweet sorrow. By day’s end, however, I saw everyone’s spirits lifted. Once the furniture was in the living room and dining room in the new house, the sun started shining and it lit up the whole house. The most striking thing is that you feel like you are in a tree house. There are two sets of double sliders in the living room and another set in the master bedroom, so lots of glass from which to take in the beautiful view. The front of the house looks like many other homes, but the view from the back side of the house looks down on the backyard and the tree tops of 30 acres of conservation land. The sun rises on that side of the house and sets on the front side of the house. The dining room is on the front side, so the early risers will have breakfast watching the sun rise and all will view dinner time sunsets.
Mid-afternoon, Heather and Jed had arranged to have “front porch” photos taken at both houses to support the local Service Center. The Front Steps Project is a national movement. A photographer comes and takes photos of families that are homebound due to coronavirus stay-at-home orders. The families come out on the front steps and the photographer takes the photos from a distance. Families pay a fee for this and the proceeds of the Falmouth project goes to the Service Center. Heather and Jed wanted to support the Service Center and loved the idea of having ‘official’ photos on the actual moving day. It did take time out of the moving day, but it officially documented the move. The photographer that came to the new house asked each of the boys to think of a word that describes their feelings about this coronavirus time. Ollie came up with the first word, dangerous. So true. Then she went on to tell the boys that this is something they will remember throughout their lives. We are living through a time that is unprecedented and she pointed out that moving during this time really is something to remember. It would be so much easier if we could hire help, but that is just not in the picture. So onward we go.
by Judy Handley | Apr 9, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 100: Packing Up 60 Vidal
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2020
Weather: Mostly Overcast and Stormy; High 51 degrees, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today and into the evening, the total focus of the Goldstones and myself was packing, packing, packing. Jed took beds apart and packed up the boys’ room, Heather packed up the kitchen and den, and I made trips to the new house with as many boxes as I could haul. Sam helped me with one load and then all three boys, after they were finished with their school work for the day, helped with the final load. Tomorrow is moving day for all of the big stuff. Heather picks up the rental truck at 9 am and then the frenzy will begin. Hopefully the sun will shine.
by Judy Handley | Apr 8, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 99: Passover
Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Weather: Overcast and Cooler; High 48 degrees, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today at sundown was the beginning of the week-long observance of Passover for millions of Jews from around the world. It is a time to celebrate the journey out of Egypt from slavery to freedom. Jed’s father was Jewish, and just as Jed’s family always observed Passover, Heather and Jed continue that tradition with the Goldpebbles and they always invite me over for the Seder. This is the dinner that includes eating special foods, reading the story of the exodus from Egypt, singing, and drinking wine. Tonight our seder plate in the center of the table included special items. There was the zeroa or shankbone. This is on the seder plate to remind people of the outstretched arm of God that led the Hebrews out of Egypt. Then there was the beitzah or egg that was boiled and then roasted. This represents the sacrifice that was traditionally eaten on seder night during Temple times. Next was karpas which is a vegetable that is dipped into salt water and eaten to remind us of the tears of the Israelite slaves. Our vegetable tonight was lettuce and all three boys asked for more. Maybe we should use salt water as a salad dressing all the time to get them to eat more lettuce. Maror is a bitter herb meant to remind us of the bitterness of slavery. Our maror tonight was China Rose radish sprouts. I made a traditional charoset for tonight which consisted of apples, walnuts (I substituted pecans), cinnamon, honey, and a sweet wine. It has the color of clay and represents the clay the slaves used in making their bricks and mortar. And there was lots of matzo or unleavened bread. On my last trip to Costco before the days of the coronavirus, I bought a five pound box of matzos for Passover. Matzos are like large, flat crackers and the Goldpebbles love them. 
For dinner we had matzo ball soup, a celery and sardine salad, beef roast over egg noodles, and glazed carrots. It was a feast and was extra special because we were joined via Zoom by Jed’s mother, Marti, who lives in Washington, DC, and Jed’s brother Toby who lives in Portland, Oregon. They sat at the head of the table and stayed with us through the readings and rituals, the singing, and the dinner. Heather and Jed made it a wonderful evening despite the BIG move looming over their heads. Tomorrow is the final packing day and Friday is moving day. We joked tonight that we were having the last supper at 60 Vidal. Tomorrow night will be take-out, probably at the new house, and Friday night will be the first supper in the new house.
by Judy Handley | Apr 7, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 98: Happy 11th Birthday to Ziggy
Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Weather: Sunny, Breezy Afternoon; High 56 degrees, Low 44 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Happy, happy 11th birthday to Ziggy! For the first time ever, I sent a grandchild money for his birthday. It just seemed too difficult to order the things he wanted and get them to Puerto Rico in time with the adjusted Covid-19 delivery uncertainties. Thankfully the money gift worked out. I think he enjoyed getting money. But he also got lots of other presents. It seemed more like Christmas than a birthday. He got the coolest roller skates I’ve ever seen. The boots are red Converse sneakers. We had a Skype video call this afternoon and I got to see him skating around the living room as Coco zoomed about on her roller blades. Thankfully they have a really big living room that can accommodate such activity. I got to meet Opal and Pearl, the new baby goats. At birth they thought both were girls, but then they discovered that Pearl is a boy. Justin and Jo held them and then Justin brought them into the living room to run about. They are just too cute for words. But I think Justin’s favorite baby of the week is a little tan bunny. I didn’t get to see Hopi’s baby pony, Barnaby, as his pen is too far from house to have an internet connection. I hope to see photos of him as he grows. The Handley-Hunts in Puerto Rico seem to be doing just fine. And Ziggy really was a very happy birthday boy.
I spent the rest of my day writing, gardening, walking with Shadow, and fighting with Comcast, my internet and cable TV provider. I really enjoyed the writing, gardening, and walking, but the fight with Comcast has gone on too long. I have called many times since Monday and each time I get a cheery computer voice saying, “I see you are Judy. Am I correct?” Yes, yes, yes. I am Judy and my address is 2-3. And yes, your computer does show that I have a problem—major breakup or pixilation on my TV screen. And after six calls, I still have the problem. And yes, I have the break-up on all channels. And yes, I did try a different HDMI cord. And every time I have called I have gone through the same testing regime and have been told to watch the screen and report any changes to a person that will call me back in one hour. The problem is, no one has ever called back. When I finally got an agent this evening, I explained that I certainly understand that their service is overwhelmed due to the coronavirus. But I just wanted to find out what my next step should be. I tried to explain that as Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” This worked. They are sending me, via UPS, a new cable box with a new HDMI cable. I’ll install it and if that doesn’t solve the problem, then Comcast will send someone to check the outside connections. They are doing almost no work, maybe none, inside homes unless service has been totally cut-off. Hopefully we can avoid that here. I could live without the television, but I would have difficulty without my internet connection.
Today I had my first ever home delivery of beer and wine. Essentials, right? Someone in my wine group mentioned that they were getting deliveries from a liquor store in Cotuit, a little town between here and Hyannis. I got online to check it out and it is so easy. The prices are higher than going into Kappy’s, the major liquor store in Falmouth, but they don’t deliver. You still have to wipe down the boxes and bottles of wine, but you order online, pay by phone, and then just tape a tip to your door. They leave everything on your doorstep and you take it from there. No contact with people. A great service. My friend Detta Porat also called today. She is a second grade teacher in New Hampshire and is working 15 to 18 hour days providing online instruction and email support for students and families. Sure wish the Goldpebbles were in a school system working this hard to provide educational support during these times. If they are, I don’t see it. But I’ll not give up hope just yet. And the greatest news of the day was that Nilson, the contractor who does work for my land lady, Shirley, and has done work for me, was able to help out in response to an SOS text I sent to him this morning. I know how much stress Heather and Jed are under right now. When I went over to deliver some packing boxes last evening, they were outside scraping paint off the trim around the garage door. Part of their contract of sale is that the garage door and trim will be painted and that has to be done by the end of next week. I know they could have gotten it done, but it is just one more thing on their overflowing plate. So, this morning I sent the text to Nilson and this afternoon he was on the job. Since it is an outside job, Heather and Jed just had to direct the kids not to play on that side of the house to keep proper physical distancing. Nilson’s team actually got the paint scraped and the first coat of paint on today. Thanks and praises.
by Judy Handley | Apr 6, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 97: A Writing Day
Date: Monday, April 6, 2020
Weather: Sunny and Warmer; High 56 degrees, Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
We finally had a sunny and warmish day, but I spent it indoors writing. I kept thinking I would come to a stopping place and go outside to ready the raised beds for planting. But I never reached that stopping place. I have written a book introduction and Chapter One for my book about the Voyage of Windbird and today I started Chapter Two. After thinking about writing this book for the eight years since Mark and I arrived back home, I find it amazing that I am now actually writing. Taking the Newcomers Memoir Writing class that started in late January got me started, but it took the slow down in life imposed by the coronavirus to actually get me to buckle down. The book introduction sets the stage. Chapter One is currently titled, “There He Was.” It is about meeting Mark. Chapter Two that I focused on today tackles the question of why and how we made the decision to sail around the world. It was great fun today to go back and try to reconstruct our first off-shore sail from the Chesapeake Bay to Maine in 1989. The fact that I survived that trip sets the stage for me thinking seriously about sailing around the world. Tomorrow and Wednesday I will continue writing and, hopefully, do a little gardening. Then on Thursday and Friday, writing will be put aside to focus on the Goldstone move from 60 Vidal to 43 Grasmere. I’m actually looking forward to that distraction. Today I saw a replay of a White House news briefing this weekend when Dr. Birx said that she thinks this week is most crucial in the battle against the coronavirus. She recommended that people not even go the grocery store or drug store during this week. I haven’t been in a grocery store since mid-March and don’t need to go now, but the tone in her voice chilled me. This is really scary, so maybe dropping everything and just working hard at moving is a good thing.
