by Judy Handley | Dec 25, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 359: A Very Merry Christmas
Date: Sunday, December 25, 2022
Weather: Cold and Snowy: High 27, Low 19 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 7:08 am & 4:19 pm
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was one of the merriest Christmas days ever. We continued to get snowflakes falling periodically during the day making the world white and beautiful. Santa was most generous and brought everyone the ‘just right’ presents. He even brought the Goldpebbles an Xbox which they have had at the top of their Santa list for years.
Ollie and Jonah were over the top joyful, as was Sam. But Sam just stood staring at it and saying, “I have wanted this for all my life.” Well, not quite. But almost. After a morning of opening presents, I drove home to spend time with Shadow and enjoy my gifts. I put the decorative pillow appliqued with tropical fish on the bed in my guest bedroom.
Heather bought the pillow at the Old Market in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt and I decided that I will decorate the walls of that room with my favorite underwater photos from around the world. I also plugged in the nightlight in that room that was a handmade gift from Ollie using shells from my collection—half cockle shells from the Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia.
I made myself a cup of tea in the Woodwell cup that came in my stocking, and I sat and started reading the book Jonah gave me—Horse by Geraldine Brooks.
Then I sat in the living room watching a recording of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert while I ate lunch served on my artistically designed cutting board made by Sam. It is oak and maple and has two curved inlaid lines of dark walnut from the farm Mark and I owned in southern West Virginia.
Shadow and I then look a long winter’s nap before I returned to Heather and Jed’s for dinner. But not before transferring the contents of my little pocket wallet that is falling apart to a new dark green leather one that was a gift from Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco.
Earlier in the morning, we had a Skype video call with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco. They were also having a wonderful Christmas. Coco got a new Chrome Book and lots of new art supplies. Ziggy got a bass guitar. He has shown some interest and will see if he wants to add bass to his piano repertoire.
After our nap, Shadow and I went outside to play fetch in the snow. He loves nothing more than burying his nose in the snow before eating it.
It was nearing dinner time when I returned to Heather and Jed’s. They had also had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon—Heather completing a complex puzzle Jed got her for Christmas and Jed reading and napping while the boys played soccer on the Xbox. Ollie also completed the assembly of the Lego app-controlled transformation vehicle I got him for Christmas.
Heather and Jed took a walk though the neighborhood delivering Christmas bread wreaths, and everyone was cleaning up the Christmas ‘mess’ in the living room when I arrived. Before fixing dinner, Heather made chocolate covered strawberries and decorated Christmas cookies for dessert.
Then she and Jed prepared a great meal of duck breast, smashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and salad. The table was set for Christmas dinner and the last night of Chanukah.
While dinner prep was happening, I played soccer on the Xbox with the boys. I had no idea what I was doing, but I kept getting accolades from the Pebbles because I was doing such a good job. I think they were just being kind, but I did have a good time. And at least I had my player running toward the right goal most of the time!
Tomorrow afternoon we all hope to be heading to Cambridge to Revels on the Harvard campus. It was cancelled on Friday due to cast illness and there is no update at this time. Online it looks like it will be happening, but we will check the website around noon to make sure it is not cancelled again. If it is a go, we will drive separately. After the show, Heather and family will head to Boothbay, Maine to spend a couple of days with Jed’s family. Then on Friday and Saturday they will snowboard in Bethel, Maine, before returning home on New Year’s Day.
by Judy Handley | Dec 23, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 357: Merry Christmas Eve Eve
Date: Friday, December 23, 2022
Weather: Rain, WIND, Temperature Drop: High 55, Low 16 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 7:08 am & 4:17 pm
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
A few hours ago, it was in the 50’s. Now it is in the 20’s. With the wind still roaring, it feels really cold. It is 11:15 pm and I just took Shadow outside. The first problem was that my front storm door was frozen shut. It was not solidly frozen, but I had to push hard to get it open. We walked down to the dock to check on the water level. It was not nearly as high as it was this morning, but it was too cold to stay and really check things out. That will have to wait until morning. It was so cold that even Shadow wanted to get back inside the cottage. This morning the high tide was a super high tide that had the main dock underwater and the floating outer dock up in the air.
And the water came up into the yards next door further than I have ever seen it.
Heather said that at Falmouth Heights Beach there was no beach this morning. The water came all the way up to the seawall. It rained all night, but there were periods today without rain. The same was true of the wind. It was really blowing this morning. Then it settled down a little before coming back with a vengeance. It will continue to be very cold and windy tomorrow, but then things settle down just a bit. Compared to much of the country, we got by pretty easy with this storm, so I’m not going to complain.
Late in the day, I decided to make bread wreaths. This is a tradition that I have not done this for a few of years, and I quickly learned that I had been overly ambitious. I used to be able to knead an eight-loaf recipe of whole wheat bread with no problem. Today I found a four-loaf recipe challenging. It takes an entire five-pound bag of whole wheat flour for the recipe, and it is heavy to knead. And I used to be able to braid the wreaths with no problem, but tonight the dough just didn’t cooperate. Half of the wreaths barely look good enough to give as gifts, so I think the birds are going to be getting a few of them!
Heather sent a photo of her mixed tradition braided challah wreath she made for dinner tonight. It looks the way my wreaths used to look.
Maybe it is time for me to pass this tradition on to the younger generation. But even with my problems, I was still glad I made them.
The reason that I had the time to make the bread wreaths is because we did not go to Revels this afternoon. Jonah was feeling worse, so Heather decided to call to try to change the reservation once again, this time to Monday. Then she found out that today’s shows were cancelled due to cast illness. We will have to wait to see if there is even going to be a show on Monday. But despite illness on the home front, we are going forward with Christmas. We are going to have sushi with some extras for our Christmas Eve celebration tomorrow and call it our Feast of the Seven Fishes. Doing take-out sushi seems to be cheating, but it is what everyone will actually eat and enjoy. We will have Christmas Eve here at the cottage and Christmas Day at the Goldstones.
I got photos from Jo this afternoon with the tag, “Merry Christmas Eve Eve.” They were enjoying sunset at the beach, and what a beautiful sunset.
by Judy Handley | Dec 22, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 356: The Calm Before the Storm
Date: Thursday, December 22, 2022
Weather: Overcast and Warming Up: High 47, Low 45 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 7:07 am & 4:17 pm (gained 1 minute of daylight)
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today has been clam, but the weather is the big story tonight. A huge storm that has been moving across the country has not hit here quite yet, but strange things are happening. The day started out with the temperature in the 20’s and right now it is 46 degrees F. The winds are starting to pick up. We are expected to have winds in the 30’s all night with the possibility of gusts to 65. And the rain should begin at some point and rain all day tomorrow. There will be no snow for us, just rain. Then tomorrow evening when the rain ends, the temperature will start dropping. Then we will be in the deep freeze for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day before it starts to warm up on Boxing Day. If we lose electricity tonight with all the wind, I surely hope it will return before the freezing weather sets in.
It is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. I baked four dozen gingerbread cookies today to contribute to the Jewish Congregation. They distribute the cookies to needy families on Christmas Day. And after baking, I went food shopping for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We are still hoping to go to Cambridge to Revels tomorrow night. Jonah had a fever for a few hours last night, but today he was fever free. Seems like he might just have a cold, not the flu like Sam. Or if it is the flu, it is a much milder case. Heather and Jed will access the situation in the morning and make a decision about Revels. Today’s Dining-in Group Christmas luncheon was postponed until next week, so I am really hoping we don’t have to cancel Revels. It is time to start celebrating!
by Judy Handley | Dec 22, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 355: Winter Solstice and Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Date: Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny: High 41, Low 26 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 7:07 am & 4:16 pm
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was the winter solstice, the shortest day or the longest night of the year. I look forward to the increase in daylight hours. It will be slow, but sure, making winter solstice my favorite holiday of the year. On this special day, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a visit to Washington, DC. He is such a dynamic leader. And he is only 44 years old. Listening to him speak to our US Congress tonight, it became obvious to me that I was listening to greatness. I certainly hope we as a country continue to do all we can to support the Ukrainians. They are valiantly fighting the battle for democracy in Europe and around the world. In Zelenskyy’s words, by supporting Ukraine, we are making “an investment in global security.” A good investment, indeed.
I met with a Pain Management physician today to discuss the possibility of getting an epidural to inject a steroid into my spinal column to relieve pain. But either I talked myself out of it or the doctor talked me out of it. My pain is manageable, so for now I declined. But if I change my mind, all I have to do is call. After leaving the appointment, I headed home to do the last of the yard work for 2022. It is not really all done, but it is good enough. The rest can be done as part of a spring clean-up.
I talked to my ‘sister’ in New Zealand tonight, my friend Lynne Kirwin. She is currently house sitting and taking care of a dog she called a cadoodle. It is a mix of a St. Charles Spaniel and a Poodle. Another name for that mix is a Cavapoo. She promised to send a photo and I am anxious to see what this doodle looks like. Lynne is doing great and it was so good to catch up.
Bad news this evening . . . Jonah has a 100.7 fever. He probably has Flu A that he probably caught from Sam. Whatever it is, it might make some major changes in our holiday plans. We’ll just play it day by day. But I am hoping Jonah has a milder case than Sam. This is day five Sam and he is still struggling to be up and about for more than two hours at a time. Sure hope none of the rest of us get this nasty bug.
by Judy Handley | Dec 20, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 354: Sisters, Sisters
Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny: High 40, Low 26 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 7:06 am & 4:16 pm
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
From White Christmas . . . “Sister, sisters. There were never such devoted sisters.” My sister Patsy and I are fourteen years apart, too far apart to ever have been close friends. But as age takes over and all other family members are gone, I have become devoted to taking care of my older sister. Today, however, was one of those trying days. I got up at 7:10 am to take Shadow out and was on the phone twenty minutes later dealing with my sister’s issues. Five hours later, I was still on the phone, either on calls or texting. One of those calls was from my son Justin and it had nothing to do with my sister. It was just a catch up on life call with a few Christmas questions answered. That is the kind of call I love, but they are not all like that. Between the calls, I had time to brush my teeth and get my top on, but it was not until after noon when Peter and Karen Baranowski drove into the driveway that I held the phone to my ear and rushed back to the bedroom to put my pants on! But in those five hours, I had arranged for Patsy to get blood work done at her assisted living facility and arranged for a CT scan this afternoon. That plus making sure she had transportation. At the same time, I was dealing with financial issues for her. Sounds easy, but it was not.
I hung up on the last call, fixed lunch, put Shadow in the car, and just started driving north. I needed time to think, and driving seemed to be the best way to do that. I drove all the way to the Wrentham Outlet west of Boston. I parked the car, went into one store, bought a few things, and then drove home. It was a crazy long drive, but it helped clear my mind. When I got home, I was on the phone again and reading reports from my sisters blood test and CT scan. No problems. That’s the kind of reports I like to read. I was amazed at the speed in which the reports were posted online. The doctor still needs to read them and give his opinion, but I know enough to know that there are no major issues. And my sister is feeling better. I guess all is well that ends well, even if the path from beginning to end is a little rocky. Tomorrow, I will do whatever it was that I had planned to do today. Tomorrow is the winter solstice and the longest night of the year. But we have already started gaining daylight . . . one whole minute today!
by Judy Handley | Dec 19, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 353: Fall Leaf Clean-up and Ollie’s Music Concert
Date: Monday, December 19, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny: High 41, Low 29 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 7:06 am & 4:15 pm
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Baby, it’s cold outside at night these days. But the days have been mostly sunny and not quite so cold. I did not finish the final fall leaf clean-up today, but I made a good dent. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe next spring?
Tonight was Morse Pond Winter Concert with all Falmouth 5th and 6th grade choir, band, and jazz band students.
Ollie plays the saxophone in the band and in the jazz band
and Heather, Jed, Jonah, and I enjoyed the presentation. Sam is better, but not yet ready to go to a concert, and probably not to school for one more day. The current 7th and 8th music program really suffered during Covid. It is hard to be part of a choir or a band on Zoom. Jonah, being an 8th grader, was almost wide-eyed seeing how many students were participating tonight. Sometimes school concerts can be a bit painful, but this one was not. And they were really good! I missed Jonah’s concert last week as I was in North Carolina, but I hope there will be something in the spring.
Ollie and Jonah were over the top joyful, as was Sam. But Sam just stood staring at it and saying, “I have wanted this for all my life.” Well, not quite. But almost. After a morning of opening presents, I drove home to spend time with Shadow and enjoy my gifts. I put the decorative pillow appliqued with tropical fish on the bed in my guest bedroom.
Heather bought the pillow at the Old Market in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt and I decided that I will decorate the walls of that room with my favorite underwater photos from around the world. I also plugged in the nightlight in that room that was a handmade gift from Ollie using shells from my collection—half cockle shells from the Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia.
I made myself a cup of tea in the Woodwell cup that came in my stocking, and I sat and started reading the book Jonah gave me—Horse by Geraldine Brooks.
Then I sat in the living room watching a recording of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert while I ate lunch served on my artistically designed cutting board made by Sam. It is oak and maple and has two curved inlaid lines of dark walnut from the farm Mark and I owned in southern West Virginia.
Shadow and I then look a long winter’s nap before I returned to Heather and Jed’s for dinner. But not before transferring the contents of my little pocket wallet that is falling apart to a new dark green leather one that was a gift from Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco.
Earlier in the morning, we had a Skype video call with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco. They were also having a wonderful Christmas. Coco got a new Chrome Book and lots of new art supplies. Ziggy got a bass guitar. He has shown some interest and will see if he wants to add bass to his piano repertoire.
It was nearing dinner time when I returned to Heather and Jed’s. They had also had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon—Heather completing a complex puzzle Jed got her for Christmas and Jed reading and napping while the boys played soccer on the Xbox. Ollie also completed the assembly of the Lego app-controlled transformation vehicle I got him for Christmas.
Heather and Jed took a walk though the neighborhood delivering Christmas bread wreaths, and everyone was cleaning up the Christmas ‘mess’ in the living room when I arrived. Before fixing dinner, Heather made chocolate covered strawberries and decorated Christmas cookies for dessert.
Then she and Jed prepared a great meal of duck breast, smashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and salad. The table was set for Christmas dinner and the last night of Chanukah.
While dinner prep was happening, I played soccer on the Xbox with the boys. I had no idea what I was doing, but I kept getting accolades from the Pebbles because I was doing such a good job. I think they were just being kind, but I did have a good time. And at least I had my player running toward the right goal most of the time! 
