by Judy Handley | Aug 12, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 225: A Day Trip to Boston
Date: Monday, August 12, 2024
Weather: Sunny, Turning Cloudy Late, Then Rain; High Temp 76, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
Heather was returning home from Maine today via bus and I had a couple of things I needed to do in the Boston area, so I offered to pick her up at South Station. I did my shopping at Costco and I checked out the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy for a future Newcomers-Encore field trip. It was almost 4:30 when we got home. Heather was off to a Select Board meeting, and I had some food shopping to do. By the time that was done and I played ball with Shadow, the first sprinkles of rain came down. The only other things of importance that happened today were getting a first day of school photo of Coco and Ziggy
and getting a call from Kevin and Claire. They are hoping to come visit the first week or so in October before they head back to Mexico for the winter. I will certainly look forward to their visit.
by Judy Handley | Aug 11, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 224: Lovely Afternoon with Friends
Date: Sunday, August 11, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny; High Temp 78, Low 63 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
Sandwiched between the US women’s basketball team’s battle for the Gold this morning and the women’s Olympic marathon early afternoon, and then the Olympic closing ceremonies tonight, I spent a lovely afternoon with friends at the beach and then at an impromptu Happy Hour gathering. Lovely afternoon.
I heard from Heather. They did get the power back yesterday afternoon in Boothbay. The family had lots of quality time together and a sail on the Eastwind Schooner out of Boothbay Harbor in John Reed’s memory. Heather returns home tomorrow, but Jed and the boys will be there for a few more days. I think they will return in time for the Falmouth Road Race next Sunday.
And tomorrow is the first day of school for Ziggy and Coco in Puerto Rico. I hope they have a great beginning to their year.
by Judy Handley | Aug 9, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 222: From Cool to Hot and Steamy
Date: Friday, August 9, 2024
Weather: Sunny, Hot and Humid; High Temp 83, Low 74 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
The high temperature today was almost 20 degrees warmer than yesterday making it a hot and steamy day. Shadow and I walked a mile this morning and then just after noon, I met Karen Baranowski for lunch at the Flying Bridge. After lunch, Karen went with me to Heather and Jed’s to try and help me catch one of their cats, Mel, to put medication on his ear. Unfortunately, Mel was nowhere to be found. I returned later and heard him meowing upstairs, but I never did find him. I’ll try again tomorrow. Then Shadow and I ended the afternoon playing outside, with me doing a little weeding along the edges of the yard. I never did get to that pile of mail. I’ll try again tomorrow.
I heard from Lynne Kirwin tonight. She finally made it home from Nyack, NY to Michigan today. I will can’t believe she drove all that way and we had only one day together. But as I’ve said before, I will be forever grateful that she was here to take care of Shadow while I stayed in North Carolina to be with my sister in the hospital and then on to rehab. Thank you, Lynne, and glad you made it home safely.
by Judy Handley | Aug 8, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 221: Another Cloudy, Cool, Lazy Day
Date: Thursday, August 8, 2024
Weather: Cloudy, Sprinkles, Cool; High Temp 68, Low 65 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
Between my need to rest up after the trip to North Carolina and this very uninspiring weather, I had another lazy day. I got through some of the mail, had a car appointment to determine why my front tires were leaking air, watched some Olympics, and played with Shadow. The problem with the deflating tires was the valves which were replaced. The problem with me is simply exhaustion. I am hoping to have a little more energy tomorrow.
I heard from Heather that the boys are having a wonderfully, laid-back time in Maine.
And this evening I heard from my sister’s Home Helpers with wonderful news. I have been worried all week that Patsy had a bowel blockage like she did after her last surgery about 10 years ago. I have been in daily contact with the nurses at Autumn Care and tonight I learned that things are finally moving. I am so relieved. And I called the hairdresser to have Patsy’s hair done today as I knew that would make her feel better. Katie, the hairdresser, is from a small town near Lowell, Massachusetts.
by Judy Handley | Aug 7, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 220: Slowly Adding a Little Work to Free and Easy
Date: Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Weather: Cloudy, Rainy, Cool; High Temp 68, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
I had to put jeans and a light sweater on today. The high temperature was 68 degrees, but it was cloudy and rainy and felt downright cold. The change from summer to fall clothing warmed me a bit and allowed me to enjoy the day. I enjoyed another stress-free day slowly adding a little work to yesterday’s free and easy day. Shadow and I walked early and then I had a 2-hour Encore-related meeting. Then it was home for lunch, a check-in with the Olympics, and some outside time with Shadow. We played ball and then while he just enjoyed being outside, I tackled a little weeding. The edges of the yard are staring to look like a jungle. There are poke weed plants that are almost as tall as I am and boundless briars that are out of control. Interspersed with this, I spent time on the phone dealing with issues my sister is having. At this point it is nothing serious. It is just things I need to stay on top of with the help of my nephew Tommy and Patsy’s Home Helpers.
As I sit here writing this log, I am looking at the stack of mail that I haven’t even touched since I got home. Maybe tomorrow will be “taking care of business day.” But for tonight, I will continue watching the Olympics with my Shadow and enjoy life in the slow lane. No Olympic Gold Medals here.
by Judy Handley | Aug 6, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 219: Free and Easy Day
Date: Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Weather: Cloudy, Light Rain Off and On; High Temp 76, Low 64 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
Mark and I sailed through Indonesia with a rally. We were a group of boats that were rarely at the same place at the same time, but the rally organizers would talk to us on the radio each day and announce any organized activities on any of the islands. When it was a day with no activities, it was announced as a free and easy day. And I had one of those free and easy days today and loved every minute of it. While in North Carolina, once my sister fell and had to go to ER and then surgery, I felt like I was running a marathon all the time. I was up at 7 am, at the hospital or later rehab no later than 8:30, running back and forth from her apartment to get things she needed, checking out rehab facilities, not going to wherever I was calling home that night until nearly 11 pm. It was truly exhausting, so this being my first full day home, I did very little and didn’t rush to do anything. When walking with Shadow, I was even walking slowly. It was wonderful.
Jane Woodin stopped by to say hello as she was in the neighborhood, and I did go to Heather and Jed’s to feed the fish and the cats. I picked cucumbers and tomatoes in the garden and played ball with Shadow. There was a mid-day issue with my sister, and I still don’t know if that is resolved. She was not able to eat lunch and was sick at her stomach. I talked with her just before dinner and she seemed to be a bit better. I will just have to wait and see how she is tomorrow.
I watched Kamala Harris and her choice for VP, Tim Walz, at their 5:30 pm rally in Philadelphia. Since hearing he was her choice earlier in the day, I wondered if she had made the best choice. I really didn’t know much about him and had never even seen him. But after hearing them speak at the rally, there is no doubt that she made the right choice. They both seem so wonderfully normal and so upbeat. It made me happy to watch them speak, and I haven’t felt that way about hearing a politician speak for quite some time. I love the chant, “We won’t go back.” I love to hear Kamala say “When we fight, we win.” And I love that Kamala, and now Walz. bring joy to this race. Now we all need to begin the fight. Go Harris-Walz!
and getting a call from Kevin and Claire. They are hoping to come visit the first week or so in October before they head back to Mexico for the winter. I will certainly look forward to their visit.
