by Judy Handley | Dec 8, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 342: Falmouth Christmas Parade, Jed’s Birthday and Christmas Tree Decorating Party
Date: Sunday, December 8, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny and Warmer; High Temp 50, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
What a day! I spent the early morning making a dessert to take to my wine group’s holiday gathering tomorrow night and then headed downtown for Falmouth’s annual Christmas Parade. Jed walked with Heather and other town and state leaders and Jonah and Ollie marched and played with their respective school bands. Of course, there was Santa and WHOI even had ‘Dumbo’ the deep sea octopus marching with them.
The parade had more entries this year than last and the weather was perfect. It was sunny and warmer than it has been the last few days which made watching much more enjoyable. I could go on and on about the parade, but it is late and I have a very early morning heading to Boston for the day. So, I’ll get on to the next part of the day.
December 8 is Jed’s birthday, so this evening we had a combined birthday dinner and celebration plus a decorating the Christmas tree party. After the parade, Heather and gang went to buy their Christmas tree and they ended up buying a big one for the living room and a tiny one for the entry hall. Everyone was in a very festive mood, and we had a wonderful dinner and all sorts of fun while decorating the tree.
by Judy Handley | Dec 7, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 341: More Christmas Fun
Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 38, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
With Heather in an all morning Select Board retreat, Sam taking the SAT, and Jonah and Jed up near Boston at an all day soccer tournament, Ollie and I were free to do as we pleased. We didn’t leave Heather and Jed’s until after 10:30 and decided our first stop would be the French bakery to get breakfast and take it to my house to eat. In addition to Ollie’s chocolate croissant and my quiche, we also got a small fruit tart to share with others later and a chocolate éclair for Sam as a treat after taking the SAT. Once we got our bag of goodies back to my house, we added blackberries and bacon to the menu and had a little feast.
Our next stop was to be the Congregational Church Christmas craft sale, but before we left my house, Heather called to tell us she was finished with her meeting and would like to come join us. She was downtown on her bike, so she rode to my house where we all had a small piece of fruit tart. We made it to the Church so late that the craft sale was almost over, and lunch was being served. The lunch menu included clam chowder and lobster rolls, so instead of buying Christmas presents, Ollie bought a clam chowder. Then it was on to Aldi’s to buy a gingerbread house kit. Actually, Ollie bought two in hopes of making a mega house, but in the end, shared the second one with Jonah. We went back to Heather’s so Ollie could build and decorate the gingerbread house and Heather and I took a few minutes to compare Christmas shopping lists. Ollie didn’t really need my help building,
so I took the opportunity to head to Hyannis to return some of the things I bought for Jonah to try on and to try to find a red hoodie for Ollie to wear in the Christmas parade tomorrow. Sam and I had looked at Walmart and TJ Max last night and found nada. I did a quick tour of most of the stores in the mall in Hyannis and only found one red sweatshirt. But then, that’s all I needed.
I am far from being finished with my Christmas shopping, but in just a few days, I have made a good dent in the list. Tomorrow is the Christmas parade and Jed’s birthday dinner, so Christmas preparations will be put on hold. Tomorrow I also have to get ready for my wine group Christmas gathering on Monday night. The theme is red and white, so I am making a white panna cotta topped with a red berry mixture to pair with a bottle of port. It has to be done and in the refrigerator tomorrow, as early Monday morning I head to Boston with the field trip group to go a special exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts. By the time I get home from that, it will be time to head to the wine group gathering. Tuesday is book club and Early Release Day for the boys. The December Encore Board meeting is on Wednesday and another Christmas concert on Wednesday evening. Thankfully, Thursday and Friday look a little less crazy, so hopefully I can finish up most of my Christmas shopping by week’s end.
by Judy Handley | Dec 6, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 340: Christmas Fun
Date: Friday, December 6, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny, Windy, Freezing; High Temp 34, Low 24 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Late morning, Jane Woodin came over and we gathered greenery to do some Christmas decorating. Afterwards, we had tea and caught up on happenings. Then I headed to Hyannis to look for a “quality” Santa hat for Sam and some other fun things to share during our Christmas tree decorating party. Sam thinks he has outgrown the years old Santa hats in the basement, so I was happy to buy him a new one. I also found a new, crazy one for Jonah. I stopped by Macy’s to see if they might have black pants and a suit jacket for Jonah. He and Ollie have upcoming Christmas concerts and Jonah’s concert outfit from last year is getting on the small side. While shopping for things for Jonah, I found a great Santa outfit that I thought Sam might wear in the parade on Sunday and picked up something for Jed for his birthday which is also this Sunday.
The real reason I was in Hyannis was for the Cape Cod Symphony holiday concert.
Encore members all had seats in the same area. My seat was directly in front of Terry and Olivia White. I was delighted to see them there. Last year I drove with them to the concert and my back and knee were both so bad that Terry had to drop me right by the door. I painfully remember how difficult it was to walk into the high school where the concert is held and get to my seat. What a difference a year and two surgeries make. Today I was able to park far from the school entrance and walk in with no problem. It was a reminder of just how far I have come in a year. I am so very grateful to be able to walk without pain. The concert was delightful, and I am certain that everyone left in happy holiday spirit. I know I certainly did.
It was almost 7 pm when I got back to Falmouth and went to the Goldstones for their Christmas tree decorating party. But there was a problem. There was no place open after 5 pm to buy a tree, so that party will happen tomorrow or on Sunday combined with Jed’s birthday party. But Sam loved his “quality” Santa hat.
And Jonah had a good time wearing the crazy Dr. Suess type Christmas hat I bought for him.
The Santa outfit I bought for Sam was too small for him, but Heather put it on and loved it. She thinks she will just keep it on until Christmas!
After having pizza with the Goldstones, Sam and I headed to Walmart to see if they might have some other items needed for the parade on Sunday, plus I still needed to buy a hat for Ollie. Between Walmart and TJ Max, we found a few things, including the hat for O. But the hunt for other items will have to continue tomorrow.
Sam has to drive to Hyannis early tomorrow morning to take the SATs, Heather has an all morning Select Board retreat, and Jed has to take Jonah to an all-day soccer event. Ollie and I are going to decorate a gingerbread house and then Heather, Ollie, and I are going to a wreath making workshop in the afternoon. If we still have any energy left, we will gather after the sun goes down for the annual lighting of the town green. Santa’s elves are going to be busy tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Dec 5, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 339: Oh, Christmas Tree
Date: Thursday, December 5, 2024
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain AM; 40 High Temp, Low 27 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
My one and only accomplishment today was that I went to Coonemessett Farm to buy a Christmas tree. I brought it home, got it set up in the livingroom, and put the lights on it. Decorating will happen over the weekend.
I also went on a little shopping trip and picked up Ollie after school. I have no idea how I managed to do so little. Tomorrow, I have only the morning at home as I go to a Cape Cod Symphony holiday concert in the late afternoon in Hyannis. I will go early to do a little Christmas shopping and return to watch the Goldstones decorate their tree.
Late this afternoon I got a surprise phone call from my friend Linda Stuart whom I have not talked to in ages. Linda and her husband Mike are my friends who rode their bikes ‘around the world’—North America, Central and South America, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Spain. Since 2020, they have been taking an extended break to live in Colorado near their son and his growing family. They are enjoying the two grandchildren, exploring Colorado on foot, doing some biking, but mostly becoming pickleball addicts. Linda teaches pickleball and loves it. They will be spending three months in San Carlos, Mexico, this winter as they have for the past two years. I would love to go visit them in Mexico. They are only a few miles from the marina where my other good friends, Kevin and Claire, live. In one trip I could visit with both. Unfortunately, the budget doesn’t allow it. But I will be with them in spirit,
by Judy Handley | Dec 4, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 338: Encore Holiday Luncheon and More
Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny; 39 High Temp, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
This was a busy day. After my walk with Shadow, I went to the grocery store in anticipation of fixing dinner for the Goldstones, and barely had time to come home and get dressed for the Encore Holiday Luncheon. It was a lovely affair at the nearby Coonasmessett Inn, but I didn’t get home until after 2:30 pm. I had checked in with Heather early this morning and found that she was still feeling terrible. Sam and Ollie were both still home from school today as well. I offered to fix beef stew and mac and cheese for them for dinner as it is the kids’ favorite comfort food and Heather was very appreciative since she is feeling worse than yesterday. The mac and cheese was easy, but the beef stew needed to be in the oven for about three hours. I hustled to get it in the oven by 3:30 pm but needed to take it out early to get it delivered by 6 pm as I learned that Jed and Jonah needed to leave to get Jonah to soccer practice. Delivering the food gave me the opportunity to finally talk to Heather and Sam and Ollie about their trip to the Netherlands. I didn’t get hear much from Jed or Jonah as they had to leave but Heather, even though she says she feels worse than when she had Covid, she was able to tell me about their trip and Sam came down from his bedroom to add to the story. The short story is that the whole family loved the Netherlands. And if I got this right, Sam visited four universities: Groningen, Erasmus in Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Leiden (I think). His favorite by far was the University of Groningen. I need to read a little about each of these so that when we talk again so I will have a better idea of locations. But it was great to find out just how much they all enjoyed the visit.
All of our travels have put us a little behind on getting ready for the holidays, but hopefully before the end of the weekend, everyone will feel better, and we will all get caught up on our holiday to do list . . . getting and putting up our Christmas trees, decorating the trees, putting up the outside lights, making those lists for Santa, and getting things ordered.
by Judy Handley | Dec 2, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 336: Aguada to San Juan to Boston to Home
Date: Monday, December 2, 2024
Weather in Falmouth: Sunny; 38 High Temp, Low 25 (Ouch!) degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
It was an early morning, as I got up at 6:45 am to say farewell to Ziggy and Coco before they left for school.
Then Jo drove Ziggy and Coco to Mayaguez for school. When she returned, Justin and I left for San Juan. After a three hour drive from Finca Maravilla in Aguada plus a one hour shopping spree at Costo along the way, Justin got me to the airport in San Juan at 1 pm PR time. My trip home on Jet Blue couldn’t have gone smoother and I was able to catch the 7 pm bus from Boston Logan to the Sagamore Park and Ride to pick up my car, getting me home by a little after 9 pm. I am now snuggling Shadow who was really glad to see me, and I was just as happy to see him. I had a wonderful week with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco, but it always feels good to be home. The only problem is that winter arrived while I was away. Baby, it’s cold outside here on Cape Cod tonight!
While writing this log, I got a text from Heather letting me know that they just arrived in Boston after a harrowing day of travel–a flight delay causing a missed connecting flight and on and on. Hopefully, they will be home shortly after midnight, which will be 6 am tomorrow morning in Amsterdam. The Goldstones had a very, very, very long travel day, but I can’t wait to hear all about their trip.
