by Judy Handley | Dec 13, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 347: The Sound of Music
Date: Monday, December 13, 2021
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High Temp 48, Low Temp 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today my grandson Ziggy in Puerto Rico had his first piano recital, along with three other students.
He has only been taking lessons for a short time, but the video Jo sent of him playing at the recital was fantastic. Then I got a text from Heather asking if I would like to go to Jonah’s middle school band concert tonight. Jonah plays bass in the jazz band and trombone in the regular band. He had to wear all black tonight and he looked so grown up and handsome.
The sound of music in the auditorium was wonderful.
There were no in-person concerts last year due to Covid and tonight they took all sorts of precautions. You had to sign in with contact tracing information and you were asked to scan a QR code on the program and enter your seat number. There was also social distancing. All seats were labeled with a red or a green sticker. You could only sit in seats with a green sticker giving lots of space between people and everyone was masked. The district music director greeted people at the door explaining the Covid precautions and he started the program by saying how exciting it is to have live music programs once again. I certainly agree and really appreciate the care they took to make sure the event was done as safely as possible.
by Judy Handley | Dec 12, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 346: Great Day for a Walk in the Woods
Date: Sunday, December 12, 2021
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 59, Low Temp 38 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The sun was shining. The air was crisp. It was a great day for a walk in the woods with Shadow and a friend. We did a loop trail from Highfield Hall to the Punch Bowl and back in Beebee Woods.
The Punch Bowl is beautiful pond surrounded by woods on all sides. When I got home, I put on a huge pot of chicken mineral broth to burble for the rest of the day. I finished the jigsaw puzzle I started with Coco when she was here.
Then I read while Shadow slept at my feet. It was dark before I knew it and I had missed my chance to go out and play catch with Shadow. He didn’t seem to mind, however. He continued sleeping through most of the evening. That walk must have worn him out.
I saw a photo on Facebook of Ziggy and Coco after lighting the candles in their Advent spiral.
Each year, Jo makes a spiral candle holder and puts 25 indentations in it, one for each day of December leading up to Christmas Day. The spiral image is found in all cultures over time. It is associated with the cycle of rebirth, time and seasons, and sometimes a spiritual journey. Ziggy and Coco add another candle each day in December. I love their tradition and might join them in doing this myself next year.
by Judy Handley | Dec 11, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 345: Reading, Puzzling, Watching, Partying
Date: Saturday, December 11, 2021
Weather: Cloudy, Rainy, Windy; High Temp 62, Low Temp 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The most notable thing about today was the weather. It was warm, even with a strong wind blowing. There was a little rain. Not enough to deter outside activities, but enough to make it seem dreary. Heather and Jed braved the weather and walked the 9-mile Falmouth Moraine Trail today as part of Jed’s 50th birthday celebration. And tonight, they had two couples over for a birthday dinner celebration. I got a text from Heather saying they enjoyed the walk and had a great evening with friends.
As for me, I did a little reading, a little walking, a little puzzling (almost finished my latest jigsaw), and I allowed myself to watch two episodes of a television series I am really into. I usually just watch one episode every night or two, never during the day. But it was a good day for binge watching. Then tonight, I went to a Christmas party at the home of one of my Newcomers Wine Group members. I knew almost no one there, but I had a couple of fascinating conversations. It was nice to be out with other people, but I was really glad it was so warm that we could actually be outside on the deck for most of the evening. The threat of a rising Covid presence makes being inside with other people a scary proposition. When I got home, I called my friend Lynne in New Zealand. We must have talked for almost two hours. I miss seeing her so much, but if Covid allows, she is coming home for a few months next summer and early fall. In the meantime, it sounds like New Zealand is the place you want to be during this pandemic. They have had only 46 Covid deaths since the beginning in the spring of 2020.
by Judy Handley | Dec 10, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 344: Remembering Aunt Ethel
Date: Friday, December 10, 2021
Weather: Overcast; High Temp 47, Low Temp 42 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was dreary and overcast and only became more so in the late afternoon when I got a text from a niece with a link to an obituary for my Aunt Ethel. She was my aunt by marriage to my mother’s oldest brother, but because she was like a sister to my mother, we were very close when I was young. She was beautiful and smart, an elementary teacher by trade, and had an absolutely infectious laugh. I last saw her when I arrived unannounced at her door on her 103rd birthday. And that was three years ago. At that point she was still living alone, still driving, and still young at heart. I took her on an all day road trip that day from her home in Roanoke, Virginia, to Monroe County in West Virginia, where she grew up and where she met and married my uncle who was fifteen years her senior. At the end of the day, I was exhausted, but she was still going strong. My uncle passed away in 1975 and eventually Aunt Ethel remarried and outlived a second husband by many years. She never had children, but her second husband’s family adopted her fully and made sure she was cared for in every way through the years. After she remarried, I saw her very few times over the years, but her influence on me as a young child was always with me. I had to smile when I saw the photo with the obituary. It was Aunt Ethel with her cat Bella that she loved so dearly.
That picture had to be taken in the last six years and she certainly didn’t look like a centenarian. She was one amazing woman.
by Judy Handley | Dec 9, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 343: A Day with Ollie
Date: Thursday, December 9, 2021
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High Temp 38, Low Temp 28 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Ollie has not gone to school all week due to a cold. He is feeling okay, but Heather and Jed have hesitated to send him back to expose other kids as his cough still lingers on. Heather sent a text this morning wondering if I would be willing to have him at my house for the day. She knew we had some holiday projects we wanted to launch. Of course, I replied with an enthusiastic YES. 
Ollie and I spent our day working on holiday art projects and doing a homework writing assignment. Thankfully, Jed helped him with his math before we left their house. As I listened to the two of them talk about factors and prime numbers I was completely lost. Fourth grade math is challenging! We had a break in the afternoon when I had to take him to meet Jed at the Pediatrician office to get a Covid rapid test required before he can return to school tomorrow. And then at the end of the day, I took him home and stayed for the evening. Heather had to go to work to host a webinar and Jed had a dinner to attend. The boys and I ordered pizza that was delivered for dinner and after dinner we played games. It was a lovely day.
by Judy Handley | Dec 8, 2021 | 2021 Life Logs |
2021 Life Logs, Day 342: Happy 50th Birthday to Jed
Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High Temp 40, Low Temp 28 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Happy 50th Birthday to my son-in-law, Jed.
This evening we had a family birthday dinner and celebration. The boys each gave Jed a gnome because Jed loves gnomes. 
He even got a plastic gnome that had 50 rocks inside and labeled, “50 Rocks.” And Ollie game him a glass container with 50 handmade clay marbles in beautiful colors. Ollie explained these were marbles Jed could use when he starts losing his marbles! The first package he opened from his mother was a photo of him as a toddler and the actual sweater he was wearing in the photo. One of the gnomes got the honor of wearing the birthday sweater. Marti’s other package was an apron that says, “Vintage 1971 with Original Parts” with a mad money check in the pocket.
Heather game him a set of outside summer wine glasses with New Hampshire granite cubes and a granite base that you put in the freezer. You then put the cold granite cube in the glass of wine to keep it cool and place it in the cold granite base when it is warm outside. And Marti and I went in together to give Heather and Jed a winter weekend in the resort of their choice.
After dinner we headed to the basement for one last present. Heather and the boys got Jed a keyboard with a full 88 keys.
The boys have been wanting someone to play the keyboard for their basement band, and that will now be Jed. Of course, the boys will enjoy the keyboard as well, but Jed did take piano lessons when he was a youngster and can hopefully revive some of that knowledge. 
Tonight, they began working on playing a Christmas Canon together. Jonah then announced it was time for a crazy Christmas dance party with disco lights.
The incentive for that was a note in their Advent calendar for today. 
And finally, we came back up upstairs to enjoy a ‘make your own cannoli’ dessert. Happy Birthday, Jed!
FIFTY
(wait, how old?) noun
1. Only ten years old in Celsius
2. Half a century young
3. Prehistoric, but not extinct
4. Eighteen, with thirty-two years of experience
5. When your back starts going out more than you do
6. An excellent age for a bottle of wine
7. Only eight and a half years old in cat years (so pretend
you’re a cat)
8. Five perfect tens
See also: JARED GOLDSTONE, over-the-hill, nifty-fifty
He has only been taking lessons for a short time, but the video Jo sent of him playing at the recital was fantastic. Then I got a text from Heather asking if I would like to go to Jonah’s middle school band concert tonight. Jonah plays bass in the jazz band and trombone in the regular band. He had to wear all black tonight and he looked so grown up and handsome.
The sound of music in the auditorium was wonderful.
There were no in-person concerts last year due to Covid and tonight they took all sorts of precautions. You had to sign in with contact tracing information and you were asked to scan a QR code on the program and enter your seat number. There was also social distancing. All seats were labeled with a red or a green sticker. You could only sit in seats with a green sticker giving lots of space between people and everyone was masked. The district music director greeted people at the door explaining the Covid precautions and he started the program by saying how exciting it is to have live music programs once again. I certainly agree and really appreciate the care they took to make sure the event was done as safely as possible. 
