by Judy Handley | Apr 3, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 93: Side-tracked
Date: Monday, April 3, 2023
Weather: Sunny and Windy; High 48, Low 43 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was supposed to be my day to start removing varnish on Heather and Jed’s Cape Dory. But that didn’t happen. As I was getting ready to go, all of sudden the driveway was full of vehicles. Caroline, Shirley’s niece that is handling the sale of Shirley’s home and the cottage, knocked on my door to explain that the realtor and the landscaping people were here to survey things and that there has been a change. They are contemplating putting the two properties on the market at the same time with the option to sell as one. So, the landscapers will need to tidy-up the cottage yard and gardens as well as Shirley’s. And the realtor will call me when there is a showing. But now I need to get the cottage ready to show. This is not what I expected and it threw me off balance. Many of the things that I planned to do in June, now need to be done immediately. For instance, I have to decide if I am moving my raised beds and, if so, get it done now so he landscapers can plant grass. And the list goes on and on. Just as I was hoping to fully focus on the boat, I have to do double duty. So, I scrapped going to the boat today, tried to regained my balance, did a little garden work to see how long it will take me to remove fencing and metal fence posts, and then changed gears and took a huge load of laundry to the laundromat. While I was waiting for clothes to wash and dry, I made phone calls I needed to make regarding my sister’s medical plans. About that time, Heather called and said she was headed home in the new ID.4 Volkswagen electric mini-van but was stuck in Boston traffic. She was going to get home too late to pick up Ollie after jazz band practice. So, I finished up at the laundromat, picked up Ollie, and then headed home to walk and play with Shadow. I texted Heather once she was home and asked her to send photos of the new ID.4 and she sent photos of “out with the old, in with the new.” Since the exhaust system in the van is completely defunct, they have told Sam he can spend the next two years getting it ready to be in a demolition derby. You can’t drive in a demolition derby until you are 18, so that is the reason for the two years. The boys got started on that project this evening.
And Ollie and Jonah greeted the ID.4.
They love it. Then Jed drove Sam and Jonah to Harwich for soccer in the new mini-van, where it got its first rapid charge while Jed was waiting for the boys.
Heather drove it 90 miles home from Medford, just north of Boston and Jed drove it 35 miles to Harwich and it still had ‘140’ left. Jed said that theoretically, at 80% standard charge, it would get about 250 miles per charge. There is no rapid charge station in Falmouth, but both WHOI and Woodwell have charge stations for employees.
I had hoped to watch more of Ted Lasso tonight, but only got in one episode. I spent time contacting sailing buddies, Kevin and Claire in Mexico and Alan in Dedham, to get some advice for barrier coat and bottom paint. Thanks to both for sharing their wealth of knowledge. But tomorrow at 1 pm I have a date on Eider (whose name will change soon) to start removing the varnish and I’m hoping to not break that date.
by Judy Handley | Apr 2, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 92: An Afternoon ‘Down Under’
Date: Sunday, April 2, 2023
Weather: Sunny and Windy; High 50, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Cape Symphony under the direction of visiting conductor Carolyn Watson, originally from Australia, and featuring performances by William Barton, an Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo virtuoso, presented an afternoon of music from the land “down under.”
Heather invited me to go along to the performance with them since they had an extra ticket–Sam had soccer game. Lucky me. The orchestra and conductor were great, but William Barton was the highlight as he performs like a musical magician. He can make sounds through the didgeridoo like none I have ever heard. Plus, he can play the guitar and the didgeridoo at the same time, has a beautiful singing voice, singing in his tribal language, and was the composer of some of the pieces he and the orchestra performed. Barton, only 41 years old, was born in Queensland and learned to play from his uncle, an elder of the Wannyi, Lardil and Kalkadunga tribes of Western Queensland. If you are not familiar with a didgeridoo, it is a musical instrument made from a hollowed out piece of wood.
I have tried to play one but found it incredibly difficult. Traditionally the wooden tube was hollowed out by termites, but these days humans help with the tunneling. I became fascinated with didgeridoo music when Mark and I visited with Heather when she was in college in Queensland. Barton is one of the most commanding performers I have ever seen and his talents filled our afternoon with fantastic music. There were also other Australian pieces played by the orchestra plus one from New Zealand, SYMPHONIC SUITE FROM THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, which was accompanied by photos showcasing NZ’s natural beauty.
Afterwards, we met up in Hyannis with Sam, Sebi, and Sebi’s mom who was their transport to the afternoon soccer game. Heather and Jed treated us all to dinner in Hyannis before returning home. It was a wonderful afternoon. Thank you, Heather and Jed.
by Judy Handley | Apr 1, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 91: April Fool’s Day
Date: Saturday, April 1, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny, Rainy Evening; High 45, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I have no April Fool’s jokes. I won’t even try. But April roared in like a lion with wind and rain all day. I spent a quiet morning at home starting a second hydroponic growing system for lettuce and cleaning part of the inflatable kayak in the bathtub. Heather and I had planned to go to the boat so she could show me exactly what she wants done in terms of varnish removal, but she was planting mushrooms in her front yard that that took twice as long as she thought. Then she had to drive to Hyannis to pick Jonah up from a Scout camping weekend so he could play an afternoon soccer game in Falmouth, on turf, rain or shine. We met at the high school where Heather dropped Jonah off for a pre-game warm-up and then she and I drove to the boat where I got my marching orders. Then we returned to the high school and watched the game in the pouring rain.
At least it wasn’t freezing! Heather then drove Jonah back to Hyannis and I headed home. Tonight, I got sucked into the Ted Lasso world and watched more than half the episodes in the first season. For whatever reason, I have always thought about Ted Lasso seemed very silly. But I am loving Ted Lasso. That’s the news from my world on this first day of April.
by Judy Handley | Mar 31, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 90: Clearing Out ‘Stuff’
Date: Friday, March 31, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny, Rainy Evening; High 45, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
My back and my knee are not so happy tonight, but I did manage to clear out a lot of ‘stuff’ today. This morning when I learned that a dumpster would be arriving across the driveway early in the afternoon, I knew I should take advantage of that and get ‘stuff’ out of the basement and over to the dumpster staging area. I used my little red beach wagon to transport a plethora of things. Then I realized that my inflatable kayak that has been stored on the concrete pad outside Shirley’s two storage sheds needed to be moved out of the way. I got Steve, Shirley’s niece’s husband, to help me get it onto a tarp and drag it to my side yard. From there I was on my own to clean it up a bit and get it into my basement until I can get help to properly clean and roll it up to be stored. This is a two person inflatable that is about 15 feet long. Getting it down the steps and into the basement was a bit of a trick, but since it is not fully inflated, I was able to manage that by myself.
After all that physical activity, my back and right knee were telling me to go inside and do something a little less physical. I attacked the stacks of paperwork on my desk in my bedroom and got much of that filed. But as always, one thing leads to another, and I started purging old files in the filing cabinet. There were two bulging folders of information on possessions that I attacked first, and then I cleaned out the tax files all the way back to 1973. I could have just thrown all but the last few years out, but I decided I might like to keep the 1040 Forms from all those years. So, I went through and recycled all but the 1040’s. It will take another day to get all my stacks of papers filed or thrown out, but I made great strides in that direction today.
Hopefully, tomorrow is boat day. Heather and I had planned to go start removing varnish. But it is supposed to rain all day and even though the boat is covered, I’m not sure we will want to brave the weather. I’ll check with Heather in the morning. If not a boat day, it sounds like the perfect day to complete that paperwork project.
by Judy Handley | Mar 30, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 89: Historic Day
Date: Thursday, March 30, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny, Cold N Wind; High 42, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
There have been too many historic days in the span of three years, all three days I never dreamed I would see in my lifetime … March 11, 2020 when the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic … January 6, 2021 when insurrectionists attacked the US Capitol Building to try to keep Trump in power … and now March 30, 2023 when a former US President is indicted, a first in our history as a country. We have had lots of elected politicians indicted and then found guilty, but no sitting President or former President has ever been indicted in the history of our country. I am not shy about saying that I do not and have never cared for Donald Trump, but that is not why I am feeling so good about this indictment. It is because the rule of law has won out, as it must if we are to remain a democracy. We don’t even know the charges yet, and no one knows how a jury will decide, but at least Donald Trump is being held accountable for his actions. Finally, a positive historic day.
I filed my taxes today, had an appointment with my chiropractor and found that my back is not only feeling better after the epidural, it is better. Back at home, I started going through files to try and get rid of things I no longer need, and then I drove into town to pick Jonah and Ollie up after school as Heather and Jed were both in meetings. The boys normally walk home, but on Thursdays, they are both carrying very large musical instruments. Getting a ride is much appreciated. Shadow and I did our walks and playtime outside today despite that cold north wind, so life is good.
by Judy Handley | Mar 29, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 88: Making It Legal
Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Cool; High 46, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today I signed the rental agreement for the home I will be moving into on July 1. The move is finally for sure and legal. My new home, for at least the next year, is in town very close to Heather and family. It is owned by my friend Lynda Onthank and she has been very busy getting it ready to rent. Today when I arrived to sign the rental agreement, I was greeted by a new array of equipment in the driveway. She has been doing landscaping in the entry area and now a new roof is going on. When she moves out in June, new flooring will be laid in most of the house and the wood floor in the living room will be refinished. And she is readying a garden area that we will share. Whew! Soon she is headed to the island of Corfu in Greece on a biking vacation, so she has been working hard to get work done or definitely scheduled before she departs. Now I need to get myself into gear and get rid of ‘stuff’ and ready everything else for the move. July 1 is three months away, but I have a feeling those three months are going to pass very quickly.
The last week of April, I will be going to North Carolina for five days to visit my sister and attend my niece Jennifer’s Celebration of Life. I have been having nightmares about what to do with Shadow while I am gone. Heather is going to North Carlina as well, and Jed and the boys will be gone all day each day of that weekend. I’m sure I’ll figure something out, but until I do I’m afraid those nightmares won’t go away. I am continuing to plant seeds inside that will be ready to plant on Memorial Day weekend, hopefully in that garden area Lynda is preparing. And today, I spent a lot of time pouring through paperwork. I haven’t done my 2022 taxes yet. Maybe I’ll tackle that job tomorrow. After I met with Lynda to sign the rental agreement, I took Ollie to his saxophone lesson. That gave me a break to make a couple of phone calls and read a little more of The Soul of an Octopus. I am loving that book. I just haven’t had much time to read. I have many things to do, so I just need to stop being overwhelmed and get to work.
And Ollie and Jonah greeted the ID.4.
They love it. Then Jed drove Sam and Jonah to Harwich for soccer in the new mini-van, where it got its first rapid charge while Jed was waiting for the boys.
Heather drove it 90 miles home from Medford, just north of Boston and Jed drove it 35 miles to Harwich and it still had ‘140’ left. Jed said that theoretically, at 80% standard charge, it would get about 250 miles per charge. There is no rapid charge station in Falmouth, but both WHOI and Woodwell have charge stations for employees.
