by Judy Handley | Sep 12, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 255: Moving from Summer Life to Normal Life
Date: Monday, September 12, 2022
Weather: Rainy Day; High 72, Low 67 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Today was spent slowly making the move from summer life to normal (the rest of the year) life. But what is normal? Today it included a trip to the chiropractor, time spent processing paperwork to get my sister a new primary care physician, hosting lunch for a friend, and the five-hour stint taking Sam to and from rowing. I did a little exploring while Sam was rowing and found that there is a little general store a mile from where he rows and where the Cape Cod Rail Trail (bike trail) crosses the road. While Sam rows, I’m excited to walk the trail with Shadow and to also do some biking. Tonight, I spent some time looking into the possibility of a fall trip to Puerto Rico to spend a few days with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco. So, I guess all of this is ‘normal’ life!
by Judy Handley | Sep 11, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 254: Celebration of Mark’s Life, Year 6
Date: Sunday, September 11, 2022
Weather: Cloudy; High 78, Low 63 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
This was Mark’s favorite quote . . . as messing about in boats was his very favorite thing to do. Every year on the anniversary of his death, Heather and family do something with me that brings us all together near the water to celebrate Mark’s life. Today was a very special celebration because it was my first sail on the Goldstone’s new sailboat. What a delight to sail 4, 5, 6+ knots in only 5 to 7 knots of wind. Eider glides seamlessly through the water with all three Goldpebbles as crew members. Today, Heather was at the helm for most of the sail,
but Sam and Jed both took turns as well.
Jonah and Ollie helped with sail trim and dinghy driving and Ollie assisted Jed with dropping the mooring line and picking it up.
How proud Mark would have been to see Sam, Jonah, and Ollie taking on these responsibilities and to see his daughter in command of her own family sailboat.
Jonah had a mid-afternoon soccer game north and west of Providence, Rhode Island, so we had to head in just after 1 pm. Jonah, Jed, and Ollie hopped in the dinghy as soon as we picked up the mooring with Jonah driving in and Ollie bringing the dinghy back to pick up Sam, Heather, and myself. The four of us then went to Fisherman’s View restaurant on the Canal for lunch. Heather’s salmon poke bowl looked spectacular,
and we all had a spider crab ‘toast’ in honor of granddad’s love of soft-shelled crab.
We then ended our day with a shopping spree in Hyannis. Sam wanted to go to West Marine and Home Depot. Heather wanted to go to West Marine and Whole Foods. And we all wanted to go to Trader Joe’s for specific items. WE shopped and then the Goldstones headed home to regroup and go to a 7 pm group appointment at CVS for Covid boosters. Ollie is not eligible age-wise for the new booster, but everyone else was. I was not aware that the new booster was out already. I’ll have to get online tomorrow to make an appointment.
by Judy Handley | Sep 10, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 253: There’s a Moon Out Tonight
Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
Weather: Sunny; High 84, Low 63 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The full moon is just coming into sight here at 23 Debbie Lane. So spectacular, just like the weather today. It was sunny and hot–the way I like it. I spent time outside getting the raised beds ready for a fall planting of kale and Swiss chard. It might be a little late, but I am going to give it a go. My back is preventing me from taking long walks with Shadow, so we went for three shorter walks today. I did not go to Ollie’s first soccer game of the season this afternoon as it was an away game more than an hour away. But I talked to Heather during the game and found that the score was 1-0 with Ollie making the only goal. Go, Ollie!
Inside, I cleaned out my closets and got a huge bag of clothes ready to donate. I also worked on filling out medical forms for my sister to take to her new primary care. That was about it for today . . . just a day in the life.
by Judy Handley | Sep 9, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 252: Taking Care of Business
Date: Friday, September 9, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 76, Low 61 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Once the Goldpebbles go back to school in the fall and Camp Oma has ended, I always have a huge list of things that I have ignored during the summer. Today was first of many days that I will need to take care of business, but I did make some progress today. Plus, I am getting back into my routine with Shadow, spending more time walking and playing ball with him. That is still being hindered by my back issues, but I am making progress in that area as well, albeit slower than I would like. I took time to enjoy the beautiful weather today and tonight I am watching the men’s semi-finals in the US Open. I can’t believe Lynne got me hooked on tennis. Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration. I am just more interested in watching Frances Tiafoe. The men’s semi-final started at 7 pm and is still going. I might not ever watch tennis again, but I can’t stop watching tonight!
by Judy Handley | Sep 8, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 251: Queen Elizabeth, the End of an Era
Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022
Weather: Cloudy, Clearing Late Day; High 72, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
When I heard this afternoon that Queen Elizabeth had died, I suddenly realized that I thought of her as more than a Queen. She had somehow managed, at least in my view, to become a dignified mother figure for the entire world. With her death, an era has ended. But what a run she had.
My day was filled with the first Newcomers general meeting of the year, canning tomato sauce,
and taking Sam to rowing which is almost a five-hour affair. I left my house just after 3 pm to go pick him up and it was almost 8 pm by the time I got home. The drive alone is about an hour each way and then Sam rows for two hours.
But I made good use of the time. I took Shadow with me so we could walk. Plus, I took my computer and was able to get a lot of work done. But the real treat in doing this is the time I get to spend talking with Sam. I get to experience a very happy teenager at the end of the two hours of rowing. That alone makes the drive worth it.
I canned 17 pints of marinara sauce today and that brings me to the end of an era as well . . . no more tomato processing until next summer!
by Judy Handley | Sep 7, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 250: Dining In at the White’s
Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Weather: Overcast with Misty Rain; High 69, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
My dining-in group met at Olivia and Terry White’s this evening. It was a cool, misty day, so getting together with friends was definitely the highlight of my day. Dinner was great, but we were all oohs and aahs over the appetizer Midge Frieswyk brought. It was a fresh heirloom tomato pie with a ricotta and parmesan cheese base in a homemade ‘melt in your mouth’ tart topped with fresh basil.
So yummy. On the other end of dinner, I brought dessert and it was a total flop. I made a peach crisp, something I have never made before, and it was almost too sweet to eat. Way, way, way too much sugar which totally smothered the taste of the wonderful peaches. Live and learn.
