by Judy Handley | Mar 24, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 84: J.R.R. Tolkien Quotes
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 50 degrees, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
My favorite Tolkien quote from The Fellowship of the Ring is, “Not all those who wander are lost.” Today, however, I happened across a little conversation between Frodo and my very favorite wizard, Gandalf, that is quite apt for these times.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
So true. But on the lighter side, there is this quote from The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. “Do you wish me a good morning, or meant that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” Think about that the next time you say good morning to someone!
There was a little sunshine today and I think that helped clear my head and get me back in focus. I spent most of my day working on organizing photos from the past year. Eventually I have to go all the way back to the fall of 2016 to finish this project, but I was very pleased with today’s progress. I will continue tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Mar 23, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 83: Out of Focus
Date: Monday, March 23, 2020
Weather: Cloudy with Some Rain; High 44 degrees, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Shadow and I are doing fine during these ‘stay at home’ times, but I continue to struggle with focus. I continue to jump from one activity to another and simply feel out of focus. Surely I’ll get it together soon. Most of my day today was spent in follow-up activities.
I was supposed to receive my first delivery of Misfits organic veggies and fruits on Saturday. The FedEx tracking system said the box had been delivered to my doorstep, but it was not. I tried to reach both FedEx and Misfits on Saturday, but there was absolutely no way to talk to a person. I had to send emails. I still have not heard back from either with a return email, but today I called the FedEx office in Massachusetts that sent the delivery truck out. I did get an agent. She was very helpful and very surprised as she said the driver has been delivering packages to the Cape for years and should be very familiar with the area. Since the box of food is perishable, it seemed silly to try and track it down, but she helped me figure out how to make sure the driver gets detailed directions for this week’s delivery. Hopefully her suggestions work.
As a follow-up to other things I wrote about yesterday, I heard from Jo’s parents in England and they are doing fine, but like here, staying at home and not visiting with family. Margaret reported that she had a wonderful Zoom online gathering with all three of her children, but it was the first Mother’s Day she has ever spent without actually being with at least of one of the three. I also learned that Mike and Linda Stuart are going to stay in Spain. In order to be within the new rules being imposed there, they are going to have to stay in their current Airbnb, even though it more expensive, because they already have a contract. They have found a Facebook page where other Americans in Spain are sharing experiences and that is helping them feel more connected. And tonight I talked to Heather and they had a good day despite the rainy weather keeping boys inside during the afternoon. Sam is recovering from his skateboard fall on Sunday. And Heather and Jed are striking a balance between work and checking in on what the boys are doing. Heather and Jed are supposed to close on the purchase of their new home this Thursday, but Governor Baker’s announcement today that all non-essential workers in Massachusetts must now stay home might interfere with the closing. “Beginning Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at 12:00 PM, Massachusetts join a growing number of states in closing non-essential businesses and organizations to employees, customers, and the public.” This order applies to the “physical workplaces and facilities” until April 7. It is going to take a day or so to figure out exactly if and how this might impact a closing in a bank. But they are prepared for a delay. Even if they do close, they now are not sure that the work they wanted to have done before moving in can go ahead. What is essential? What is not? Such uncertain times, but we will get through this.
Last week Ollie discovered the Mo Willems noontime doodling website. Mo Willems is a children’s author. He, along with a whole lot of other children’s authors, are offering online activities for kids at home. https://www.weareteachers.com/virtual-author-activities/?utm_content=1584565321&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR30-cq5NJbAOJ9zPEvGZeI2gvALwKDwMwazDc4BIvidKG40qAtJ_lI7i9k
Tonight on the Rachel Maddow Show, Rachel did a piece on how the children of the people who are still working to produce her show are taking advantage of the Mo Willems offering. She showed a lot of their doodling art and highlighted what one child had written beside her doodle. “We’re all connected.” Even though we are currently physically distanced, we must all find ways to stay connected.
by Judy Handley | Mar 22, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 82: All Over the Place
Date: Sunday, March 22, 2020
Weather: Sunny and Cold; High 35 degrees, Low 25 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It’s no wonder I can’t figure out where my days are going because I bounce all over the place. I read a little bit, I write a little bit, I bounce from one project to another, and the day is gone. Today I did go to the 1:00 pm group ‘people training’ class. The instructor, Melissa, wrote and promised we would be outside, use physical distancing, wear gloves, and do everything possible to be safe. I decided to go as I am really struggling with Shadow’s training. He knows he’s the boss and I am just not able to assert dominance no matter what I do. Going today helped as Melissa watched me interact with Shadow and could then coach me in what I should and should not be doing. But Shadow is a tough one, but he is now six months old now and I really need to get on top of this. I will persist. Just as I left the class, Heather called to bring me up-to-date on Sam. At the end of our virtual birthday party on Zoom last evening, Sam fell off his skateboard and hit his head on the road. In a rush to help Ollie celebrate his rollerblade birthday gift, Sam had hopped on his board without a helmet. It ended up to be a harder fall than anyone thought at the time. He had quite a large goose egg on the back of his head but he didn’t have the symptoms of a concussion. Heather got through to the pediatrician and a trip to the ER was avoided. Not a place any of us wants to be these days. The goose egg reduced in size with icing and today Sam seems fine. But lesson learned. No skateboard, not even for a few minutes, without a helmet.
Before I went to the group training class, I got a group email from Justin and Jo announcing an 11 am Silvermouse Isolation Concert on Facebook. Their email said, “Going live again at about 11am – join us to hear some of our new material, dance, and generally just… do something while the world goes crazy?” They are using their music as a way of trying to bring people together online in these days of physical distancing. If you want to check out their Facebook page, you can click on this link: https://facebook.com/silvermouselive. After their concert ended, I decided to look online to check on the spread of the coronavirus in the UK where Jo’s parents live. I immediately saw that today was Mother’s Day in the UK and that in their county of Surrey, the cases of coronavirus jumped from 19 to 68 just today. I sent an email to wish Margaret a Happy Mother’s Day and hope to find that they hunkering down and doing just fine.
When I got home from the training class, I caught up on reading the daily logs from Mike and Linda Stuart who are now in Spain. I last checked their website on Thursday and it looked like they had made a decision to stay in Spain. But by today, that stay is uncertain. There, like here, things are changing daily. Spain is now closing down all tourist lodging which includes hotels and Airbnb’s. They had planned to stay in their current Airbnb, but the owner upped the price. So even if they can stay, they will move to another place. And if they do decide to leave, they have to figure out some way to get their bikes packed up. Linda said that with all the stores and bike shops closed, that could be difficult. But she sounded upbeat and confident that they will work this out. I got a kick out of the fact that she is doing the same daily lunch doodles with artist and author Mo Willems as Ollie is doing. Ollie loves Mo Willems books and Heather said he sat for a full hour on Friday doodling online with Mo. If you have children or grandchildren that like to draw or if you would just like to doodle, check out Mo Willems new daily doodling video: https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/
By late afternoon, I needed a break from how the coronavirus is affecting our lives, so I watched a couple of organic gardening videos from a current series being offered for free on the internet. One of today’s videos was about raised bed gardening and it was helpful. And then I read another chapter in my current book. Late last week I decided to read the Harry Potter series so I can talk about these books with my grandkids. I have all the books in the series sitting on my bookshelf and I am now about halfway through the first book. I’m compiling a list of questions and comments on each chapter and hope that I can get into a book dialog with Sam, Jonah, and Ollie as they are Harry Potter fans.
Today felt like winter. It was almost 20 degrees cooler than yesterday and with the wind it felt downright cold. The next few days look warmer, so hopefully I can get outside to do some gardening chores.
by Judy Handley | Mar 21, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 81: Happy 8th Birthday to Ollie
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2020
Weather: Sunny; High 52 degrees, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
01 The Goldstones Three
It was on a Wednesday in 2012 when Oliver Preston Goldstone was welcomed into this world. Mark and I stayed at home with Sam and Jonah when Heather and Jed headed to the hospital. Then once we got the call that we could come visit, we headed to the hospital as fast as we could. When Sam and Jonah got their first glance of their new little brother, Ollie immediately reached out to his brothers with his tiny little hands. And he continues to this day to reach out to others and often says things that show wisdom beyond his years. Because of that Heather has always called him the Ollie-Lama. I can hardly believe he is already 8 years old. Happy Birthday, Ollie.
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It took a lot of ingenuity to think of ways to celebrate his birthday in these days of social distancing, but Heather and Jed managed in one day to pull off two different virtual birthday parties as well as a walk in the woods with family. They chose the Quashnet River Area in East Falmouth for the walk as the loop road has plenty of room to stay 6 feet apart . . . easier said than done, but we were fairly successful and had a great walk. It took us a little longer than expected and Ollie was almost late for his virtual birthday party with friends. He had invited a few friends to all get online with him at 4:30 on Zoom. It was 4:30 when we got back to the cars, so Heather just got Ollie on her phone and the party started while they were driving home. I learned later that when one of his friends found out they were in the van driving home, he said they should drive by his house to say hello. Then the other friends said they wanted him to drive by their homes as well. It’s a whole new world when an eight-year-old has a great birthday party on a phone in a van while driving by the homes of friends who came outside to wave to him. Ingenuity at its best. Then later in the evening, Grammy Marti in Washington, DC and I got an email invitation to another birthday party via Zoom. If you are not familiar with Zoom you probably will be before we get through this coronavirus pandemic. It is a fabulous way to have an online meeting or a class or a visit with friends or even a birthday party. On your phone or on your computer screen, you see small individual frames showing live video of everyone who has been invited to join. The full screen picture then moves from person to person, depending on who is talking. We sang Happy Birthday, watched Ollie open his presents, and then went outside and watched him try out his new roller blades from mommy and daddy. It’s not the same as being together in person, but once you get into it, you almost forget that you aren’t really together. I think we are all going to learn many new things in the next few weeks, months, or whatever it takes to get this virus under control. But I am definitely going to embrace this wonderful technology and I might even take up the idea of driving by friends homes just to wave hello! I think Ollie felt like his birthday had been properly celebrated and I think it is a birthday he will remember throughout his life. Hopefully he will never have to have another one under these circumstances, but if he does, he’ll know just how to do it.
by Judy Handley | Mar 20, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 80: Reverting to What’s Comfortable
Date: Friday, March 20, 2020
Weather: Overcast; High 53 degrees, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Some people are most comfortable curling up with a good book. Others are most comfortable going for long walks. I am most comfortable dealing with food, either planting seeds inside, preparing gardens for planting, or cooking. So, in these unusual times, I am reverting to what is comfortable and spending my time as a ‘dirt digger’ and cooking comfort foods. Earlier in the week I made Shepard’s Pie and today I made pies, both sweet and savory. I made a pumpkin pie for Ollie for his birthday tomorrow and I made Leaf Pie for Shadow. He continues to struggle with eating and digestive issues, and I continue to search for things he will eat. Leaf Pie, which is a recipe I have been making for over 40 years is something he will eat. It is basically eggs, milk, cheese, flour, and Swiss Chard. The recipe has evolved over the years and I now use gluten-free flour, sheep’s cheese, and almond milk, but it still tastes the same. I freeze it so I can have a lunch to go when there is not time to fix a salad. And it is one thing Shadow will eat when his tummy is upset.
I also did something this afternoon that seemed like reverting to the past. I hardly ever talk on the phone except to call my sister a couple of times a week. But I spent a great deal of the afternoon talking to Jed’s mom Marti and my friend Leslie in New Hampshire. I got an email update from Leslie this morning and decided to call her instead of returning the email. It was great to hear her voice and we talked about how we are dealing with our self-imposed coronavirus solitude. Then I called Marti to wish her a happy birthday. Ollie will be 8 tomorrow and Marti had a birthday with the number 8 in it today. Marti also lives alone in Washington, DC, and a birthday dinner party with neighbors was cancelled due to social distancing being our new norm. It was great catch up with her and wish her a very happy birthday.
by Judy Handley | Mar 19, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 79: First Day of Spring
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2020
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 47 degrees, Low 42 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
For the first time since 1896, spring came a little early this year. Usually the vernal or spring equinox, the moment when we have more daylight than darkness, the moment when exactly half the earth is in darkness while the other half is in light, happens on March 20 or 21. This year March 19th was that day in every time zone in the USA. I normally celebrate that day, but somehow with the coronavirus threat, I don’t feel like we just emerged from the darkness. Nevertheless, the extra seconds/minutes of daylight will help me cope. 
My first day of spring was not particularly productive, but I made some progress. I did a load of laundry in the bathtub as I don’t have a washer or dryer. I made the decision not to buy one and to just continue using Heather and Jed’s. But since I am not going over there for now, I decided to do the essentials here at home. For the years that we sailed around the world, I did all of our laundry in a 5-gallon bucket, so the bathtub is a step up in the world. I actually put things in to soak overnight and then rinsed, wrung out by hand, and hung up on a rack in the bathtub this morning. Since it rained all day today, I couldn’t hang things outside, but everything is drying nicely, even a pair of jeans and a king-sized sheet. I then turned my attention to the shelves I brought up from the basement yesterday. I assembled them yesterday, but still needed to screw down the cross bars that stabilize the two sets of shelves. These are open shelves used for growing plants, so there is no backboard to stabilize them. Once that was done, I put the living room furniture back in place and brought up the seed starting kits and grow lights from the basement. I didn’t get anything planted, but I will work on that tomorrow. I truly feel like I am working in slow motion these days, but I’m giving myself permission to do this for now. I think it is taking all of us time to adjust to this new reality. Heather called on her lunch break and brought me up-to-date on what is happening over there. They are still struggling with striking a balance between working and schooling at home. Heather and Jed realize just how lucky they are to be paid to work at home, but that doesn’t make dealing with three boys at the same time any easier. I know they look forward to the weekend so they can take a break from work and spend more time trying to get the boys to buy into this new lifestyle. Ollie’s birthday is on Saturday and we talked about having an outside birthday party. Yay! I haven’t seen any of them for a week now, so I’ll look forward to our outdoor party with appropriate social distancing.
Heather and I talked about our worries about the impact all of this is having on local small businesses and about those people who are losing their jobs. She and many of her friends are trying to find ways to support them. Then on tonight’s news, I saw an interview with celebrity chef José Andrés who founded the World Central Kitchen whose slogan is, “Wherever there is a fight so that hungry people may eat, we will be there.” This is a non-governmental organization that is dedicated to providing meals for people in the wake of natural disasters. It was started in 2010 when the organization prepared food in Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. They were also in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria and Andrés is now working in New York City in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and helping other restaurateurs all over the country to find a way to help feed people in need at this time. Pandemic or not, people do have to eat and José Andrés intends to make sure he finds ways to support those in need. That gave me the incentive to find ways to support those small local restaurants who have had to close their doors but are still providing take-out. I seldom eat out, but for those that do, getting take-out from these small restaurants might help them survive this disaster.
