by Judy Handley | Apr 28, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 119: Laid Back Family Day
Date: Sunday, April 28, 2024
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, A Little Rain Late; High Temp 52, Low 49 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
I slept in an extra hour this morning just because I could. Then somehow it was noon and I had done almost nothing except go for a long walk with Shadow. I needed to check in with Heather about dinner plans, so I headed over and spent the next couple of hours helping fold the mountain of clothes that magically appear every Sunday. Of course, that is not magic. It is just the weekend laundry for five people. We talked while we folded, and I got filled in on plans for the remainder of the day. We were going to divide and conquer. Jed took Sam to Hyannis to get fitted for his tuxedo for the Junior Prom the middle of May and then on to a 5:45 soccer game. Heather had a Meet the Candidate event from 5 to 7 pm, so I said I would fix dinner for Jonah and Ollie. After leaving the Goldstones mid-afternoon, I went to the grocery store and came home to fix macaroni and cheese and chili. Jonah and Ollie preferred to stay home until around 6 when I picked them up and brought them to my house. Jonah had mac and cheese with a salad, Ollie had chili mac with salad, and I put my chili on a bed of arugula. I called it a mix and match dinner. Then Heather joined us for dessert which was as Jonah requested–brownies, chocolate croissants, and raspberries. It was wonderful to have a laid-back family day.
As I was leaving Heather’s mid-afternoon, I got a call from Helaine Kanegsberg. She was just checking in to make sure I was all right since I hadn’t posted a log since Thursday night. I told her I was too busy doing nothing to get the logs written, but promised to catch up tonight. Alan had the same back surgery that I had a few weeks after mine but his recovery is going a little slower than mine. Hearing about his setbacks made me feel so lucky that things thus far have gone smoothly for me. Alan, I’m sending you all the positive thoughts I can conger up to help you bounce back.
by Judy Handley | Apr 27, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 118: First Campaign Standout and Soccer, Soccer
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 53, Low 44 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
After a day of rest yesterday, I went full tilt today. At 8:30 am I headed to the main intersection in town to put signs up for Heather’s campaign standout this morning. The other volunteers plus Heather arrived just before 9 am and we started our three-hour stint. We divided ourselves between the four corners, held our signs high, and waved to every car passing by. I was amazed at the number of people who waved back or gave a thumbs up or honked their horn in support of Heather’s candidacy. Either that, or we just have extremely friendly people in this town!
At this four-way intersection with a stop light, I was standing in front of CVS. My back held up great, but my right knee was a different story. Walking up and down the sidewalk a few times every hour was much easier on my knee than standing still. Then at 10 am some new recruits came to join us. There were three people on my ‘beat’, so I got in my car and drove across the intersection to get a photo of Heather with her friend Jeanne Harper
and my good friend Olivia White.
Olivia is a standout veteran. She brought her lawn chair and her sign on a tall pole so that she could sit on the busy corner for her three hours. Two other friends of mine came in answer to my SOS call for volunteers. Thank you so much to Midge Frieswyk, Jeanne Fortier, and to Olivia.
After the standout, we had a 45-minute break to eat lunch and then Heather, Ollie, and I headed to Norton, west of Boston, for Ollie’s soccer game. The morning had been sunny and windy, but in the afternoon, the weather couldn’t make up its mind. It was warm enough to take your jacket off when the sun was shining, but two minutes later the clouds would hide the sun and you had to put your coat back on. It continued this way throughout the game. Ollie’s team won 4-1, making #23 a happy kid.
We then drove back to the highway to meet up with Jed, Sam, and Jonah. The Goldstones, and a few of the other families at Ollie’s game, were headed to Gillette Stadium for the Boston Revolutions versus Miami soccer match. Lionel Messi, the best soccer player of our time, now plays for the Miami team, so going to this game in the hopes of seeing Messi play was a big deal. Jed said that this game was sold out, a completely full stadium; something they had never experienced. They were going early to try and avoid a last-minute traffic jam and tail gated with friends prior to the game. Pre-game Heather sent a photo of the packed stadium with Sam and Jonah standing on the opposite side of the field on the top balcony overlooking the entire stadium.
During warm-ups, Messi stopped and waved at the section where Jed, Heather, and Ollie were sitting, and Heather said Ollie’s face was one of amazement. The first quarter went great for the home team, but in the second quarter Messi scored and the stadium exploded with cheers. I guess that was to be expected, but it really upset Sam and Jonah that the fans abandoned their home team and cheered for Miami. They wanted to SEE Messi, just not CHEER for Messi against the Revs. Others felt differently. The online headlines right after the game called it a “dream show for fans.”
Last night was my monthly call with Lynne Kirwin in New Zealand. We always end up talking for a couple of hours to catch up on life and last night was no exception. She will be coming home for the summer, so at some point we will get to visit in person. Life is going smoothly in New Zealand, but Lynne says people are constantly asking her what in the world is going on back home in the US. She, like most of us here, simply have no answer for that question.
by Judy Handley | Apr 26, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 117: R & R Day
Date: Friday, April 26, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 54, Low 31 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
I took the day off today. I kept busy, but not with physical activity, as I have a big day planned for tomorrow. A day of rest and relaxation felt really good.
by Judy Handley | Apr 25, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 116: Physical Therapy and Local Campaigning Tutorial
Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Cooler than Yesterday; High Temp 48, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Physical therapy for my back has been front and center in my life for the past month. I had a good session this morning and will have just one more next Tuesday. Then I am on my own to do the recommended exercise routine each and every day for the following two weeks leading up to my knee replacement surgery on Monday, not Friday, May 13th. My knee gets worse every day, so surgery day can’t come soon enough.
Then I spent my afternoon with a Falmouth woman who is very knowledgeable about local elections. She spent more than three hours with me going over the Falmouth way of doing things. One of those things is Saturday morning standouts at a main intersection in town. I have always seen campaigners at that intersection holding signs for their candidate of choice, but I have never done this. I will be initiated on Saturday and will spend part of tomorrow trying to find others to join me.
by Judy Handley | Apr 24, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 115: Two Wonderful Women I Love
Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 56, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today, after many years of waiting, my daughter-in-law Jo became a US citizen. Jo’s application was rejected the first time she applied, but this time she was successful. Congratulations, Jo! I just wish the citizens of Puerto Rico could vote for US President, but they can only vote in the primaries.
Tonight, I attended the League of Women Voters Candidate Night to proudly watch my daughter Heather field questions along with the other two candidates running for Select Board. A couple of the questions asked were particularly difficult, in my opinion, but Heather rose to the occasion.
So, I can go to sleep tonight and have sweet dreams about the two wonderful women I love.
by Judy Handley | Apr 23, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 114: Quashnet Trail Walk, Gardening, Soccer Practice
Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 51, Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Once a week my friend Olga Mitchell and I try to go for a long walk with Shadow. We all love the Quashnet River trail in Waquoit. If there are no other people on the trail, I can let Shadow off leash. He loves the freedom, but always stays close to me. Today we walked almost a mile before turning around, but we stopped for a little rest before heading back to the car to just soak in the quiet beauty of the area.
On the way home, we stopped at the nursery on the same road as the trail. Olga and I both bought some lettuce to get a little lead start on our spring gardening. I then came home and worked on getting hoses out of the basement and getting the watering system set up. The arugula I planted last week is coming up and the peas Ollie planted for me on St. Patrick’s Day are about three inches tall now. Right now we have been getting enough rain, but I want to get the watering systems working so that I can give them a little extra water from time to time. Slowly, spring is coming along. This evening I took Ollie to soccer practice. That was it for my day.
Today was my sister-in-law, Sue Cook’s, 90th birthday. Happy birthday, Sue!!! I hope you enjoyed this special milestone birthday.
