by Judy Handley | Aug 2, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 214: Yard and Garden Work
Date: Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 76, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today I took advantage of having nothing on my calendar and gave myself the gift of a quiet morning doing very little. I then launched into a frenzy of yard and garden work. But the pain in my knee and lower back slowed me to a halt a few times during the day. I just had to sit and regain the fortitude to continue. I spent a lot of time trying to complete the drip irrigation system for the garden. I installed most of it in early June, but then got sidetracked with the move and just got back to it today. It is now very difficult because the garden is like a jungle. I did not complete the job, but will try to get back to it tomorrow.
Sam and Heather dropped by in the evening. They had been out giving Sam an opportunity to practice driving. We visited for a bit, Sam played with Shadow, and they picked up their lawnmower that I have had all summer. Time to cut the grass at 43 Grasmere.
by Judy Handley | Aug 1, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 213: Shop ‘til You Drop Day
Date: Tuesday, August 1, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 75, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today was the day I put aside to go shopping for something to wear to a black-tie wedding. It has been many years since I have been to a dressy affair, so there is absolutely nothing in my closet that would work. So, off I went. I checked locally on Monday and found nothing. Today I headed to a mall near Boston. I tried Macys first, then Nordstroms. There are hundreds of dresses to choose from, but in my size and in black (yes, the invitation says all guests are requested to wear black) I only found six things to try on. Three looked awful on me, one was too small, and two were too big. The only one I really liked was a bit small and there was nothing larger. I checked a few other shops and found nothing. But in the process, I learned something about my taste in clothing. I like the style of Calvin Klein dresses. Who knew? I checked Google to see where else I could find Calvin Klein clothing and I saw that there is a Calvin Klein store at the Wrentham Outlet Mall. That was another 30-minute drive to the north and west, but I was successful. It will have to be hemmed, but that I can be done here in Falmouth. It was a long day, leaving home at 9 am and getting home at 6 pm, but that job is done.
The day also included an early morning stop at the cottage to put out the trash and recycle bins, a stop on the way home to check on my car, and then a stop at the cottage at the end of the day to put the bins away. Now that job is done. But the car stop took longer than planned because the exhaust shop where I had it towed says my problem is not in the exhaust system. They had no idea what the problem might be, but they helped me find a place on the Cape Cod side of the bridge to check it out. I drove to that garage to talk to them to see how soon they can look at it. They have an opening on Friday, so in the morning I will call AAA and have them tow my little Fit once again. In the meantime, I am driving Heather and Jed’s Civic. Hopefully sometime next week, I’ll have my car back.
by Judy Handley | Jul 31, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 212: Lazeeee Summer Day
Date: Monday, July 31, 2023
Weather: Sunny; High 77, Low 61 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
I gave myself a gift today—a ‘lazeeee’ summer day of doing almost nothing. Jonah and Ollie are both away at Scout camp and Sam was working today. I had no grandkids, so my time was all my own to do nothing with. I spent most of my morning catching up on text and email messages that needed to be returned. I then worked on my jigsaw puzzle. It is a map of Martha’s Vineyard, and I enjoyed just slowly putting pieces together. Working a puzzle is like meditating for me. All thoughts are pushed out of my head, and I just concentrate on one little piece at a time. Workmen arrived to check out a leak in a kitchen skylight, and after they left, I did a quick shopping trip in Falmouth and Mashpee to find formal, black attire to wear to my grand niece’s black-tie wedding. As I suspected, I found nothing, so I will have to spend my day off-Cape tomorrow shopping. Shadow and I drove out to the cottage to put the trash and recycle bins out for pick-up tomorrow. On our way home, we stopped by Karen and Peter Baranowski’s for a short visit that turned out to be not so short. But it was good to catch up with friends. That was about it for my day.
The weather has moderated, and it is no longer so hot. The windows are open and AC is off. It is delightful. Tomorrow night we will have the first of two full moons in August. The almost full moon is rising right now, but I have discovered one issue with living here. I can’t watch the moon rise because of the tall trees in my backyard. I might have to become one of those Falmouth residents who goes to the beach to watch the full moon rise. But I’ll learn to live with this one little issue. Otherwise, I am loving living here. I do hope to be able to spend some time in the garden this week and spent time getting the last bits put away in the house. But that must wait until Wednesday or Thursday as tomorrow I have to continue my formal dress search. While off-Cape, I will stop in Wareham to check on my car.
by Judy Handley | Jul 30, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 211: Happy 11th Birthday to Coco
Date: Sunday, July 30, 2023
Weather: Sunny; High 73, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
For some reason, I dated last night’s log with today’s date. I got a day ahead of real time. But today I know it is July 30th because it is Coco Annabelle’s 11th birthday. I just talked to her on Skype for a few minutes between activities and she said she has had a fabulous weekend. Friday night she and her friends went to see Barbie
and then came back to Finca Maravilla and had an overnight in the newly renovated barn.
There were seven girls, including Coco, and they went skating,
played on the trampoline, swam in the pool, painted their bodies,
and ate macaroons and birthday cake.
And that all took place in the 32 hours before her birthday. The real birthday today was reserved as a family day of presents, some shopping, and tonight going out for a sushi dinner. Happy Birthday, Coco!
Jonah and Ollie were off to Camp Yawgoog in Rhode Island this afternoon. But not before a stop at Smitty’s for an ice cream farewell.
This is Jonah’s third Scouting summer camp, but it is a first for Ollie. He just crossed over to Boy Scouts from Cub Scouts and has never been camping without his dad. So this is a big step for him. Sam and Jonah didn’t go to this camp until they were 12, a year older than Ollie. I sure hope Ollie adapts and that both boys have a wonderful week.
Heather asked me what I am going to do this week without any Goldpebbles to hang out with. I am looking forward to doing some things around house, like getting fully moved in, and working in the garden. I planted the garden the first of June
and have done nothing since except pick tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil, and a little wild kale. It looks like a jungle
and could use a little taming, as could the weeds that are growing to a giant size everywhere in the yard. I got a bit of a start this afternoon by weeding in the area in front of my deck. While doing that, I noticed that the swallowtail butterflies are loving the Echinacea I transplanted from the cottage.
And they also love the weed that is so prolific in this yard. I don’t know what it is, but it has tiny daisy-like blossoms. I am going to leave that weed for the butterflies. And maybe I’ll get some lettuce, kale, and arugula planted for the fall. Hopefully it will be a quiet week and I can get a lot of work done. But I do need to go shopping for a dress to wear to my grand niece’s black tie wedding. Unfortunately, that will take one of the days.
After last night’s deluge, the temperature outside has modified. It was only 73 today and actually felt chilly when the sun went behind a cloud. It looks like we might have a week with cooler temps before we go back into the 80’s next week.
by Judy Handley | Jul 29, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 210: Car Trouble, Move Officially Done Celebration
Date: Saturday, July 29, 2023
Weather: Sunny Day, Late Evening Heavy Rain Thunderstorm; High 80, Low 65 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
As the saying goes, if it is not one thing, then it is another. Heather and Jed got the last bits out of the basement of the cottage this morning, so the longest move in history is finally over. Hallelujah!!! But they no sooner got home from taking those last bits to the dump when my car decided it was not going to be drivable. I started having trouble yesterday and made an appointment to take it in on Wednesday to check it out. But as I was driving to the store this morning, the emissions light that came on yesterday started flashing and I could drive only 40 miles per hour. So, I turned around and headed to Heather and Jed’s. Very long story short, after waiting for hours for AAA to come tow it to a garage that might be able to deal with the issue, I can only hope that it is at that correct garage. At 4:30, after three hours of waiting, I gave up and came home in Heather and Jed’s Honda Civic. AAA finally told me to just leave the keys under the driver’s side floor mat. I did, but I never got any confirmation of it being delivered. I will check tomorrow to make sure it made it to the correct location which is off Cape.
The relaxed day I had planned certainly went pear-shaped, and by the time I got home to fix dinner for Heather and gang, it was after 4:30 pm. I sent a text asking them not to come until 7 pm and I launched into a frenzy to get the dinner ready. I invited them to thank them for finishing off the move and to celebrate the fact that everyone would be together. Sam got home late last night from the Scout Jamboree in West Virginia and Ollie and Jonah leave tomorrow for a Scout summer camp in Rhode Island. We did manage to squeeze in the dinner together before they had to leave to the beat the severe thunderstorm that hit tonight.
Sam had some great stories to share about his two weeks in West Virginia. He learned first hand the difference between the north and the south in this country. He got quite an education from the red necks from West Virginia, the red necks and Confederate flag fliers from Texas, and the red neck corn huskers from Iowa. And the news from another grandchild, Coco, is that she is having a wonderful 11th birthday celebratory weekend. More about that tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Jul 28, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 209: Day at Cape Cod Inflatable Water Park
Date: Friday, July 28, 2023
Weather: Sunny; High 87, Low 73 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Jonah, Ollie, Lily, and I headed to Yarmouth this morning to the Cape Cod Inflatable Water Park. Part of the park is an inflatable experience
while the other part is a water park with huge inflatable slides. It was great having Lily with us as she hung out with Ollie while Jonah headed off with new friends he met in Lazy River where you get into an inner tube and ride the river, but Jonah and his new found friends turned it into a wild train ride. At one point they had almost all of the people floating through the river holding on to each other’s rafts to form a human train. I even joined in! After that, we stopped for lunch and then Jonah headed to the FlowRider where you try to stay on a swim board while the jets of water try to push you up and out. It is a wild ride.
Lily, Ollie, and I watched Jonah for a bit,
and then Ollie and Lily went back to Lazy River where they rode in a double inner tube
and then went on to other water excursions. I actually sat and read my book for a bit, but then I was back in Lazy River to cool off. We all met back at home base to have an ice cream break, and then everyone headed out for just a little more water fun. It was a fun day and due to the temperature of 87 degrees, it was a good day to be in the water.
