by Judy Handley | Jul 20, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 201: Ollie Overnight
Date: Thursday, July 20, 2023
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 82, Low 64 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today Ollie decided that it is time for him to spend a few nights at my house. With both brothers away, I think he gets lonely at home. So, tonight was his first overnight at my new house. We brought over a twin-sized inflatable mattress and found a place in the living room that will have to serve as his ‘room’.
We closed the blinds on the sliders, pulled the drapes, and closed the blinds on the skylights. Hopefully the morning light won’t wake him too early because we stayed up WAY too late watching the remainder of The Clone Wars and the beginning of The Revenge of the Sith.
It was a mostly cloudy day and not beach weather according to Ollie, so after I did a little morning house cleaning, we spent most of the day watching the Star Wars movies. I then took Ollie home to pick up some clothes and announce to his parents that he was moving to my house for a night or so. Then we came home and fixed dinner. Ollie wanted hamburgers, so I went to the store to get the burgers and buns. Ollie did the grilling while I cooked the corn-on-the-cob. 
The corn was really tender, and the burgers were done perfectly. Yum! It was the beginning of a delightful evening.
by Judy Handley | Jul 19, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 200: Beautiful Cape Cod Beach Afternoon at Stoney
Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Weather: Sunny and Hot; High 82, Low 70 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Stoney is the beach in Woods Hole that is owned by the Marine Biological Lab, not the town of Falmouth. It is small, but it has always been one of our favorites, and today was no exception. We packed lunch and met Lily at the beach. Stoney used to rather large stones on the beach, but this year it is mostly beautiful, soft sand with a few little pebbles. I got in to snorkel with Ollie and didn’t even have to wear my dive booties. Stoney is always a shallow beach with a sand bar just a little offshore. Today the tide was going out, but we could still enjoy snorkeling in the calm water. Going into the water at Menauhant is always a chore for me as there are always waves coming in and pulling the sand out from under your feet as it goes out. This happens at all beaches, but it happens with greater force at Menauhant and very gently at Stoney. I quickly remembered why I always loved going there when the boys were younger. Plus, there is a jetty on both sides of the beach where the boys always loved to try and catch crabs.
Using periwinkles for bait that they tie onto the end of a piece of grass is the method.
This afternoon Ollie met a kid on the jetty and the crabbed for a while and then Conner borrowed my snorkel and he and Ollie had a great time snorkeling together.
Heather, Jed, Lily, and Ollie were going to the Barnstable County Fair for the evening. It is Demolition Derby night and Ollie loves that. I declined going this year as standing for any period of time is just too painful. In March, I had an epidural to inject steroids into my spine that really helped. At best, the shot lasts four months, and with the effect of the move on my back, it is time for another one. I understood that after four months, all I had to do was call to make the appointment. Not so. Because of insurance requirements, I must have another appointment with the pain management doctor first and he has nothing available until August 23. I leave that day for Charlotte for my grand niece’s wedding, but I made an 8:15 appointment hoping I can make that. But for now, I just have to persist, and standing for long periods of time is just one thing I can’t do.
by Judy Handley | Jul 18, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 199: Swap Shop, Shopping, Star Wars
Date: Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 79, Low 70 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
The weather is just not what is expected on Cape Cod in July. It is more humid than usual and we are just not having those sunny, Cape Cod days. The same is true in Puerto Rico. It is rainy season there, but the rain came early and is more intense than usual. When I was on a Skype video call with Justin and family on Sunday, a torrential rain came down sideways and was blowing right into the house. Then I got this message from Jo, “Remember on Skype the other day when the rain was a coming in sideways? It was a freaking tornado!”
The direct hit was a mile or so from them, but it is just another example of this extreme weather we are experiencing. There was damage, but not directly on their property. For that we are all grateful.
This morning Ollie and I took my carload of things to get rid of to the Swap Shop. There’s a bit more to get rid of, but we are getting there. We did some shopping for Coco’s birthday and then we spent our afternoon watching a Star Wars movie. Tomorrow Ollie and I are going to try for a beach day. Hopefully we’ll have some sunshine and no torrential rain.
by Judy Handley | Jul 17, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 198: Back to Camp Oma
Date: Monday, July 17, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 80, Low 70 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Monday means Camp Oma is back up and running, but it is very, very different this year. Sam spent his day at home getting ready to leave for the National Scout Jamboree this evening. He will be gone all of this week and next. Jonah is still at ASLP for another week. So, I just have Ollie, and only part-time, this week. He likes to spend his mornings at home, so today I picked him up at 11 am. He went with me to the cottage to load all of the things in basement that go to the Swap Shop into my car. There was barely room for him to sit when we were done and tomorrow morning, we will take the things to the Swap Shop. We got back to my house around 1 pm and then spent the afternoon working and playing. Late in the afternoon, Ollie got his little John Deere tractor out of the storage shed and hauled the bags of soil and plants that I brought home from the cottage yesterday. He used my rubber mallet to pound one of my bean towers into unbelievably hard ground despite all the rain we have had and then delivered the bags of garden soil. I hope to get the beans planted tomorrow. Ollie is hoping a friend can come over to play tomorrow, but the last I heard, Heather had not heard back from the friend’s mother. So, we shall see.
I forgot to mention in last night’s log that I had a great conversation with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco yesterday. It is officially the rainy season there, and they got one whopper of a storm while we were on the phone. But, otherwise, things are going along good there. School starts on August 9 and Ziggy is not too happy about that, but otherwise life is good. But I’m with Ziggy. I can’t believe school starts so soon there.
by Judy Handley | Jul 16, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 197: A Day of Rest
Date: Sunday, July 16, 2023
Weather: Overcast, Heavy Rain Late; High 79, Low 71 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
I did a little work today, but basically, it was a day of rest. I worked in the garden for a bit to weed out the grass growing among the veggies. I picked a bunch of basil, a couple of cucumbers, and one big and one little zucchini. This was the first harvest of the summer for me. I also drove out to the cottage to pick up the bags of garden soil and bags of plants we dug up yesterday. Then I worked on a jig saw puzzle for the first time in months.
Heather and Jed were at a parent visiting time for Jonah’s camp at the Mass Maritime Academy and Sam was at work. So, I also stopped by to check on Lily and Ollie. They were fine, so I headed home. I did a little of this and a little of that, but nothing too strenuous. Then at 6:30 pm I went to back Heather and Jed’s for dinner. This was my last chance to see Sam for the next two weeks as he is leaving tomorrow for the National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia. We had a great dinner. Then just as I started out the door, the skies opened, and we had a true deluge of rain. I decided to go anyway, with a borrowed umbrella. But by the time I drove the three minutes to my house, I stepped out of the car into two inches of standing water. I have no idea how much rain can fall in such a short period of time, but it was impressive!
by Judy Handley | Jul 15, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 196: Saturday Work Crew
Date: Saturday, July 15, 2023
Weather: Mix of Rain with Periods of Sunshine; High 81, Low 68 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Heather and Jed met me at the cottage this morning. Friends of theirs who own Moto Pizza wanted the shuffleboard table that was in the basement, so we all convened, disassembled the legs from the table and got it moved into their truck. I was an observer, but it was great to see one more thing disappear from the basement. Then Heather and Jed stayed and helped me move as much out of the basement as would fit in our cars. Some things went to their house. The other stuff went to my basement. There is still more to move, but we made fantastic progress. Heather also took photos of some of the small furniture pieces to give away on Free Falmouth. Hopefully more will go during the next week.
Before Heather and Jed left, they also helped me finish rakeing the soil left from where the raised beds were and to dig up a few more plants that I wanted to transplant here. By the time I got home and got everything from my car put away in the basement, it was time to get ready to go to a ‘tropical’ summer party at the home of one of my wine group members. I didn’t stay long as standing for any period of time is difficult right now. But I was glad that I made myself go. I met some new people and had a good time.
We closed the blinds on the sliders, pulled the drapes, and closed the blinds on the skylights. Hopefully the morning light won’t wake him too early because we stayed up WAY too late watching the remainder of The Clone Wars and the beginning of The Revenge of the Sith.
The corn was really tender, and the burgers were done perfectly. Yum! It was the beginning of a delightful evening.
Using periwinkles for bait that they tie onto the end of a piece of grass is the method.
