by Judy Handley | May 31, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 151: Memorial Day 2021
Date: Monday, May 31, 2021
Weather: Overcast and Misty; High 57, Low 51 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I hate to be negative, but I believe this was the most miserable Memorial Day weekend in recent memory. I went through my logs and copied at the end of this log my personal weather reports for each Memorial Day weekend since I have lived on Cape Cod. You might not agree, but I really think this weekend deserves the Most Miserable award.
That said, today was the best of the of three-day weekend. We haven’t seen the sun since Friday, but at least it was only misty today. There was no real rain. The temperature was the same as yesterday, but without the rain, it felt a little warmer. Ollie came over early afternoon to meet Leana, the new neighbor that is his age. Ollie, Leana, and Leana’s older brother Charlie who is Jonah’s age, immediately hit it off. I gave them buckets and nets and they started catching little critters in the water off the dock. Shadow was running and playing with their dog Hugo while the kids were on the dock and somehow Shadow managed to knock Ollie in the water. He easily scrambled back on the dock, but we had to go do a clothes change. He didn’t have extra clothes, but he had his wet suit with him. He put that on and then went to launch the kayaks. Charlie and Leana are new to kayaking, so Ollie took them out to give them a lesson. Charlie managed to capsize, but Ollie retrieved the kayak and Charlie swam to shore. The Goldpebbles often capsize, but it has always been on purpose. They love nothing more than capsizing and trying to sink the kayaks. Ollie explained this to Charlie and Leana telling them that it is a great exercise in water survival. And I think he is right. As I watched him kayaking today, I realized just how confident he is because he knows that even if he goes in the water, he knows how to right the situation. And as always, everyone had on life vests, so all was safe.
During all of this, Jed and Sam arrived to cut a couple of limbs off a tree close the cottage. The two limbs were high up, so Jed brought his super safe extension ladder. Jed did the chain sawing and Sam did the clean-up. They cut the branch hanging over the roof first and then the branch over an area where I will plant tomatoes. A piece of one branch dropped into one of my raised beds and mangled two tomato cages and bent a bean tower, but no plants were harmed. So, all is well. I just have to do a little straightening. But now more sunshine can get through to the tomatoes. That’s the important thing.
I went to Heather and Jed’s for a special Memorial Day dinner tonight. Dinner was delicious, but dessert was even better—strawberry shortcake which is a Memorial Day tradition for us.
Below I have listed my Memorial Day weekend weather reports for the past ten years. I think you will agree with me that 2021 wins the award for Most Miserable. But we still managed to have some fun.
Saturday, May 26, 2012–Mixed Sun, Clouds, and Fog
Sunday, May 27, 2012—Beautiful, Sunny Day
Monday, May 28, 2012—Another Beautiful Sunny Day
Saturday, May 25, 2013–Rainy, Windy, and Cold for Late May
Sunday, May 26, 2013–Windy and Cold for Late May
Monday, May 27, 2013–Warming Up, Sunny and Windy
Saturday, May 24, 2014–Mostly Sunny, Windy, High Near 70
Sunday, May 25, 2014–Cloudy Early then Mostly Sunny, High Near 70
Monday, May 26, 2014–Overcast with Rain Early, High Winds
Saturday, May 23, 2015–Sunny, Wind SW 20+, Temp in the Upper 50’s
Sunday, May 24, 2015–Sunny, Wind SW 20+, Temp in the Lower 60’s F
Monday, May 25, 2015–Partly Sunny, Temp in the Lower 60’s F with Wind Settling a Bit
Saturday, May 28, 2016–Mix of Sun and Clouds, High 77 degrees F
Sunday, May 29, 2016–Mix of Sun and Clouds, High 77 degrees F
Monday, May 30, 2016–Mostly Overcast with Rain, High 67 degrees F
Saturday, May 27, 2017–Partly Cloudy; High 67, Low 49 degrees F
Sunday, May 28, 2017–Mostly Cloudy and Windy; High 72, Low 50 degrees F
Monday, May 29, 2017–Overcast and Rainy; High 53, Low 49 degrees F
Saturday, May 26, 2018–Sunny with Building Winds; High 75, Low 55
Sunday, May 27, 2018–Overcast, Rainy, and Cool; High 65, Low 51 F
Monday, May 28, 2018–Overcast and Cool, Some Clearing Late Evening; High 64, Low 54 F
Saturday, May 25, 2019–Mostly Sunny; High 72, Low 55 degrees F
Sunday, May 26, 2019–Mostly Sunny; High 72, Low 58 degrees F
Monday, May 27, 2019–Sunny; High 76, Low 51 degrees F
Saturday, May 23, 2020–Rainy Day; High 63, Low 45 degrees F
Sunday, May 24, 2020–Partly Sunny Day; High 60, Low 50 degrees F
Monday, May 25, 2020–Cloudy Early, Some Sunshine Late; High 60, Low 54 degrees F
Saturday, May 29, 2021–Rainy, Cool, Gale Warning for Tonight; High 48, Low 46 degrees F
Sunday, May 30, 2021–Still Overcast and Rainy; High 57, Low, 50 degrees F
Monday, May 31, 2021–Overcast and Misty; High 57, Low 51 Degrees F
by Judy Handley | May 30, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 150: More Rain
Date: Sunday, May 30, 2021
Weather: Still Overcast and Rainy; High 57, Low, 50 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was another overcast, rainy, and cool day. There were periods when there was no rain, but for the most part there was either mist or rain all day. Jonah’s soccer tournament went on despite the weather and he felt like he had a good day. So that was one bright point in the day.
I spent a lot of my day canning chicken broth and watching Mr. Tie Dye YouTube videos learning how to do fancy tie dyed t-shirts. Then I went over to Heather and Jed’s and guided Ollie through the process of making a ‘wild spiral’ t-shirt design. We won’t know what it looks like until late tomorrow, but we both learned a lot and know what we would do differently next time. I just hope he is pleased with today’s results.
The rain is going to continue through the night, but right now the forecast for tomorrow is for a cloudy Memorial Day with a low chance of rain. That is a definite improvement, but still this may go down as the most miserable Memorial on Cape Cod in the last ten years.
by Judy Handley | May 29, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 149: Rainy Day Activities
Date: Saturday, May 29, 2021
Weather: Rainy, Cool, Gale Warning for Tonight; High 48, Low, 46 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was a miserable day outside—overcast, rainy, and cool. Regardless, Jonah’s soccer tournament was on and he and Jed had to get up very early to get to Nauset on the Outer Cape. I saw a text from Jed saying the game ended early due to the rain, but he said Jonah had made a goal. I don’t know if the second game was cancelled, but I hope so. Even when it wasn’t raining today, I just couldn’t make myself be outside for very long. Shadow and I walked and got soaked and that was the end of my outdoor activity for the day.
I heard good news from Justin this morning. Jo, Ziggy, and Coco got their Covid PCR test results back this morning and all three of them tested negative for Covid. When Justin called he was at the clinic hoping to get a PCR test today. He hopes his first rapid test was a false positive for him. If he got tested this morning and it comes back negative on Monday or Tuesday morning, he and Jo can both get their second Moderna vaccine on Tuesday as scheduled. Since he and Ziggy have the same symptoms and Ziggy doesn’t have Covid, he is hoping that they both just have a bad cold. It seems crazy to hope you have a cold, but that is so much better than having Covid. Like Justin, I so hope that is the case.
I spent my day writing and doing the dog training exercises I was taught at yesterday’s private lesson. Then this evening I had dinner with friends at Karen and Peter Baranowski’s. After dinner the guys played pool and the gals played Mexican Train. It was a fun game that I had heard about, but never played. After just finishing the book American Dirt, however, a Mexican train had a whole different meaning for me.
by Judy Handley | May 28, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 148: Ugly Weekend Weather Forecast
Date: Friday, May 28, 2021
Weather: Overcast and Cool; High 62, Low, 46 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The Memorial Day weekend weather forecast is grim. Wind, rain, no sunshine, cool temps. I looked back at my logs for the past four years and there was no Memorial Day weekend with rain on all three days. I guess I’m still hoping the weather forecast is wrong, but it has not changed and doesn’t look good. I feel bad for my new neighbors, the Dearman’s, who are spending their very first weekend in their new summer home with such a dreary forecast. I’m going to keep hoping for a miracle.
I spent a laid back day. All morning I kept up with the text messages from Jed letting Heather and I know how Ollie was doing. Everything was delayed and they didn’t get home until about 6 pm, but Ollie said everything went great. It was just a long day. I talked with Justin and he is feeling a little better. But Ziggy is feeling a little worse. Coco is fine and Jo is also okay. They will all get the results of their testing tomorrow, but Justin is convinced that they all have Covid and he thinks it started with Coco. She was only sick for one day and was then fine. But if tests for Jo and Coco come back negative, he is thinking of renting a place for them for a week so they will not get further exposure. Then I changed gears and went visiting. I was invited to the Dearman’s for coffee at 1:30 pm and I tried to give them an overview of life in Falmouth. I got a tour of their totally renovated home. No rooms are totally finished, but enough is done that you can see what a beautiful home it will be. When I arrived the two youngest kids were jumping off the dock—an activity with which I am very familiar. I wish I could get the Goldpebbles together with them, but with the ugly weather forecast that might not be possible.
Late in the afternoon I had my first private lesson with The Reliable Dog trainer, Ian. Shadow is making progress, but I am still not sure I can do what is required of me. I never put either of my children in a crib or a play pen and I am still struggling with the amount of time I am supposed to keep Shadow in his crate. So, so hard for me. But he does now sleep in his crate all night and never makes so much as a peep. Maybe I’ll get there with the other requirements.
by Judy Handley | May 27, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 147: On the Road Again
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2021
Weather: Sunny and Much Warmer; High 79, Low,52 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I spent another day driving up and down the highway hearing Willie Nelson softly singing “On the Road Again” as I drove along. I drove to Boston and back this morning and to Hyannis and back this evening which meant that I enjoyed a beautiful day from inside my car. Today’s driving was on top of driving to Costco near Boston yesterday. The most remarkable thing about the two days of being on the road was the weather. Yesterday was foggy with a high of 68 on the Cape, but it was sunny and 90 degrees F at Costco near Boston. Today it was sunny and almost 80 degrees F here and the same in Boston. I simply don’t understand enough about New England weather to understand why the weather would be so different in the two locations on one day and the same the next. But I surely enjoyed the beautiful, sunny, warm day today, even from inside my car.
I volunteered to take Ollie to Boston this morning for his Covid test. It took us an hour and 45 minutes to get there, 5 minutes of waiting time, and 1 minute for the test. Then we turned around and drove back. As we drove out of the parking garage at Children’s Hospital Ollie said, “It seems so strange that they make you drive all this way for a test that takes a minute.” I wanted to add to that that it was a test that could have been done anywhere. At the same time, I understand why a hospital like Children’s takes every possible precaution to keep Covid out. Ollie was told by the nurse that unless his parents got a call with a positive test result, he was to return tomorrow morning for his procedure. He will have the fluid on his knee drained and get a cortisone shot. This will be done in a surgical setting so that he can be anesthetized. The reason for the caution is to make sure the surgical settings are 100 per cent Covid free. Fair enough.
Ollie spent some of the travel time today having me ask him questions about his experience with Lyme disease. He took notes that he intends to use to write about his experience. He talked about how he was scared when he first found out that he Lyme disease. But then the fear turned to nervousness. Now he just wants this to be over, as do we all. It has been a three-month battle but we still have to wait and see what happens next. There have been some challenging times during the last three months, but he has come through it all like a champion.
I took Ollie back to school, came home to take Shadow on his daily mile walk, fixed lunch, took a 15 minute ‘nap’, and went back to school to pick up Ollie at the end of the school day. Then, like I do on most Thursdays, I drove Sam and friend Alex to Hyannis for their rowing practice. The rowing session officially ends shortly after 6:30 pm, but today it was so warm that Sam and Alex went for a swim afterwards. We didn’t start the trip home until almost 7 pm and it was about 8 pm when I got home. I rushed in the house to get Shadow and take him out to play ball before dark. When we got into Shirley’s side yard, we saw a new dog down by the water. I had never met the dog, but I knew he must belong to my new neighbor. I had met Andrew who bought the house next Shirley last fall and he told me he had a big, yellow lab named Hugo. When I met Andrew in the fall, he explained that he had bought the home and was having it totally renovated. That work has been ongoing all winter and spring and today the whole family arrived to spend the Memorial Day weekend.
Andrew and family live in New York City just north of the Bronx near New Rochelle. Andrew and his wife are both from England and all three of their children were born in England, although the youngest only spent the first three years of her life there. I got to meet the whole family tonight, but it was not a planned event. Once Shadow discovered Hugo, Shadow started yelping like Hugo had attacked him. Hugo had not moved, but Shadow was obviously afraid of him. But Shadow, being Shadow, ran back to him and started yelping again. This brought Andrew out of his house to see what was happening. Hugo kept ignoring Shadow but eventually the two of them learned to tolerate one another. While that was happening, one by one, the other members of the family came out to see what was happening. Andrew’s wife, Laura, is delightful, as are the children. The children are the same ages as Sam, Jonah, and Ollie, but the only boy is Charlie who is Jonah’s age. I met the oldest child, Lilly, last fall when she came with her dad to check on the house. And the youngest child is Lana. She is a lively one and I think she and Ollie will get along great. Andrew and Laura are hoping we can get the two sets of kids together this weekend.
By the time I got back inside, it was too late to call Justin to check on the Covid situation there. But I sent a text. I wanted to get an update on how he was feeling. He got right back to me saying that he was feeling okay. I’m not sure exactly what ‘okay’ means, but I will call in the morning to find out. Jo, Ziggy, and Coco got Covid tests this morning but they won’t get the results until Saturday. Ziggy is the only other one with symptoms and they are trying to all stay separated in the house. Justin said that is so hard for them. They just want to be together.
by Judy Handley | May 26, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 146: Covid and Lyme Disease Issues
Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Weather: Foggy; High 68, Low, 60 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
While shopping at Costco with friend Jane Woodin, my phone rang. It was Justin, so I answered even though I was in a store. He had what he said was “not so good news.” He has Covid and he thinks Coco and Ziggy do as well. They are not sure about Jo as any symptoms she has are very slight. But all will be tested tomorrow. This past weekend, Coco got what they thought was a cold, but it was gone the next day. Then Ziggy got the ‘cold’ and then Justin. Ziggy and Justin both have respiratory symptoms, but it was a headache that sent Justin to town to get tested this morning. He has never had a headache in his life and knew that could mean this was not really a cold but Covid. He tested positive. Justin and Jo were scheduled to get their second Moderna vaccine next week, so hopefully having had the first vaccine they will not be hit too hard. Please hope with me that this will be the case.
If Covid doesn’t get you, you then have to worry about the Deer ticks and Lyme disease. Heather and Jed have spent full time this week dealing with the doctors at Children’s Hospital trying to sort out the next steps for Ollie. They had a Zoom meeting with the Infectious Disease specialist yesterday at 4 pm and basically all she could them is that research indicates that giving Ollie more antibiotics will do no good. There are no tests to that will tell them whether or not he still has Lyme, so they just need to wait and see if it rears its ugly head again. This is not very reassuring. Regardless, Ollie has to return to Children’s Hospital in Boston on Friday to have fluid removed from his knee and to have a cortisone shot. This time they are going to anesthetize him, and that requires that he goes to Children’s in Boston tomorrow for a Covid test. The test has to be done at the same hospital where the procedure will take place on Friday and they will not make an exception. And the procedure has to take place at Children’s. Ugh. This is so complicated and time consuming.
Now add to all this that Heather found a Deer tick attached to her arm yesterday. It has been sent away and she will know on Monday or Tuesday if she is infected. And this afternoon when I took Ollie home from school, he got a cut on his finger that just would not stop bleeding. Heather was not home, so Jed took him to the Urgent Care. They had to wait quite a while for it stop bleeding and then have the cut glued. As Heather said, “What else can happen?” I don’t want to know the answer to that question.
Ollie got home from Urgent Care and Heather reported that he was chipper. I talked to Justin just now and he is feeling better and that Jo’s rapid test came back negative. I just hope things stay on this positive trajectory and we have no more issues!
