by Judy Handley | Dec 16, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 350: Making a List and Checking It Twice
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Weather: Sunny and Cold; High Temp 26, Low 21 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
I have had a To Do list that just gets longer and longer. But today happened to be the deadline for a number of things on that list. So, I worked on those things, got them done, and checked them off. The piles of books and papers are still stacked around the house, but the To Do is much shorter. One of the things that had to be done by today was sending Christmas packages to Puerto Rico. I sent one package yesterday but was having trouble figuring out how to send everything I wanted to send in just one more package. The cost of two more Priority Flat Rate Large boxes was outrageous, and the boxes were not big enough for everything. Today I started where I left off yesterday by getting on the computer and searching for a cheaper way to send things. I found that the US Post Office has a Click n’ Ship method where you measure and weigh the box at home, pay for the postage online, and then print your own shipping label. It took more time but saved about $20. I was able to send everything for less. That was a little win for today.
Tonight was another cookie making session at the Goldstones. I will bake one more batch tomorrow, but cookie making will then stop. From here until the new year, things are going to be happening fast and furiously. Tomorrow I have an Encore Board meeting and tomorrow night is Ollie’s middle school band concert. Thursday I have an Exploring Public Policy meeting, a holiday Wine Group get together, and that night is the high school concert where both Ollie and Jonah play.
Then Friday night, Sam comes home from the Netherlands!!! I cannot wait to see him. I sure hope college kids still give hugs to grandmothers. Saturday night is Indivisible Falmouth’s holiday party and Heather and Jed’s annual Solstice party. On Sunday we all head to Cambridge to go to Revels. For that, we will meet up with Jed’s mother and uncle, plus Jed’s brother Toby and his significant other, Stephanie. We will all spend the night in Boston, and on Monday I will drive home and the Goldstones will head on to Boothbay for Christmas. I will drive up to Boothbay on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas Day there before returning home on Boxing Day. Then I have one day to get ready for Justin and family’s arrival. Another “can’t wait to see them” moment. ‘Tis the season.
by Judy Handley | Dec 15, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 349: A Day Filled with Holiday Activity
Date: Monday, December 15, 2025
Weather: Sunny and Cold; High Temp 26, Low 21 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
My day started with my ‘every morning’ walk with Shadow, but today it was cut short today because it seemed to be too cold even for my snow loving dog. We had hardly gotten across the street when Shadow started hopping on 3 legs. He could not put his left rear leg on the ground. I checked his paw to see if he had ice “between his toes” but I found nothing. But whatever I did, he was able to walk normally again for a bit before he started his 3 foot hop again. At this point, we headed home.
I had a Falmouth Immigrant Rights Coalition Zoom meeting at 9:30 am, and the meeting started with a guided tour of the Immigrant Resources that Justin got put up on the Indivisible Falmouth website this weekend. He got 12 important documents posted in 5 languages. These are documents that immigrants might need to access. People were very appreciative of what he had accomplished in such a short period of time, especially over a weekend. Thank you, Justin! Your efforts are truly appreciated.
Then I turned my attention to getting Christmas gifts ready to be sent to Puerto Rico for Justin and family. This required going to the Post Office to get a Priority Flat Rate box. I got that one packed but realized I needed another box. So, I headed back to the Post Office to send the one box and pick up another. I could not believe how much the cost of sending a flat rate has gone up. It used to cost $18, then $23, and now $30. And I think the box is smaller. I have given up my Amazon Prime membership as part of an economic boycott against Jeff Bezos, but I was really missing it today. I need to send two more boxes. Ouch!
After my second trip to the Post Office, I changed gears and got a chicken in the oven to roast for dinner for Ollie and Jonah tonight. Heather had Select Board tonight and Jed had his Health Board meeting. Ollie, Jonah, and I had nice dinner and then we worked on getting Christmas cookies baked. Heather made the sugar cookie dough last night, so all Ollie and I had to do was roll out the dough and do the cut outs. Then we made another cookie, the Hershey Kisses thumbprint cookies rolled in red and green sugar. Jonah joined us in making these cookies, but it is really Ollie who is still young enough to delight in making Christmas cookies. Still, I am just glad that Jonah still joins us for some of the fun.
by Judy Handley | Dec 13, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 347: When is Enough, Enough
Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; Snow Expected Overnight; High Temp 40, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
At 4:30 pm this afternoon, I got a text letting me know a Christmas gift that I ordered was supposed to be delivered by FedX today, requiring a signature, is now going to be delivered tomorrow. I had planned to go to Costco and IKEA tomorrow morning, but with that notification, I knew that I would now need to be home tomorrow to accept the FedX package. So, I made a last minute decision to head north to do the shopping tonight. I needed some food items from Costco and was picking up a Christmas gift at IKEA. Once I got there, I texted Heather to ask if she needed anything from Costco. The answer was no. Then when I got to IKEA, I tested her again, and her response was, “Meat balls, cinnamon buns, chocolate bars, elderflower syrup … really, just grab anything in the grocery section.” I chuckled but did as directed.
I left IKEA with a huge bag of “everything from the grocery section.” I got in the car and listened to Christmas music all the way home. When I delivered the huge bag from IKEA to the Goldstones, you would have thought I was Santa Claus. Ollie and Jonah were elated with the bag of goodies. I came home on a real high. Playing Santa Claus was really fun!
Once I got home, I checked my phone to see if there were any important messages since I had left home 4 hours earlier. I had my phone with me but had not checked emails. When I checked my email, I saw the breaking news about the shooting on the Brown University campus leaving two people dead and others injured. Reading that was like a gut punch. Probably because I was in such a good mood, the news hit especially hard. I turned on the TV to see what I could find out, but the whole time I was saying to myself that this has got to stop. When is enough, enough? We’ve had Columbine, Sandy Hook, Margory Stoneman, and so many, many, many more school shootings in between. It is heartbreaking, yet we don’t have the will to do anything to stop this madness. We have a lot of madness going on these days, but the protection of our children, whether in pre-school or graduate school, should be sacred pledge. Things have gone very wrong in this country, and we who have stood by and let this happen right in front of our eyes need to dedicate our lives to stopping it.
What can we do to stop this attack on the future? I don’t have the answer, but I am certainly going to do what I can. Our children deserve better, so let’s figure out a plan of action and do something about it. Okay. Deep breath. Rant over … but not forgotten.
Today was Saturday, so I was on the Green for the weekly Standout for Democracy. Every week I meet new people in our community. Today, as soon as I arrived, I stopped to talk to good friends. Then this man walked up to our little group. He knew one person in the group and then somehow he and I got deep into a conversation about why coming out every week to protest on the Green is important. That led to what each of us is doing to try and save our democracy. He was particularly interested in the Nonviolence in Action film series we just wrapped up. Then he revealed that he is a filmmaker, and he shared a recommendation for a future workshop. We shared email contacts as he wants to be contacted if we do more with the film series. At that point, his wife and/or significant other came up, introduced herself, and said she had just been talking with another Indivisible Falmouth Steering Committee member about the film series focusing on nonviolence. One of the true gifts of the Saturday rally is this meeting of new people and sharing of ideas. The couple left and I went to talk to the person she had been talking with to find out more about them. She is Woods Hole native, now a neuroscientist teaching at MIT, and the man I was talking to is a filmmaker of significant acclaim. Wow! And the great thing is that he would like to keep in touch and possibly be involved in future film-based workshops. I introduced him to Pramila Jayapal’s Resistance Labs, and he is interested in those. The talent in this community constantly amazes me. Every single Saturday, I meet new people, all amazing. How lucky I am to live here
by Judy Handley | Dec 12, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 346: Things Get Worse Before They Get Better
Date: Friday, December 12, 2025
Weather: Windy and Cold; High Temp 35, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
All I have to say is that I hope the saying that things always get worse before they get better is true. I started rearranging things in the house yesterday and at the end of the day today, my living room and dining room both look like a cyclone hit. Let’s hope I can get things back in order by the end of the day tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Dec 11, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 345: Slowing Down a Bit
Date: Thursday, December 11, 2025
Weather: Windy; High Temp 44, Low 23 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
As I begin to write this log, it is 31 degrees outside, but because of the wind, it feels like 18 degrees F according to WeatherUnderground. And the wind is forecast to continue into tomorrow afternoon before calming a bit. I’m planning an inside day for tomorrow!
As the wind rachets up, my life seems to be slowing down a bit. I’m almost afraid to say that, but at least today there was only one Zoom meeting and dental cleaning. And tomorrow I have nothing on my calendar until tomorrow evening. I am going to take advantage of the time to do some rearranging in the house to get ready for Justin and family’s visit after Christmas. The rearranging started today out of necessity. I brought a lot of plants inside a few weeks ago. I loved the bright orange Impatiens in long deck-rail planters that were on the back deck. So, I brought them in to see if I can keep them alive until next summer … story to be continued.
I got as far as the last paragraph when I received a text from Heather inviting me over to for Christmas tree decorating. I never say no to Christmas tree decorating, so I headed over and now, three hours later, I am home. The story I started about rearranging my living room will be continued tomorrow night. Maybe the whole job will be done by then. I just barely got started today.
by Judy Handley | Dec 10, 2025 | 2025 Sailing Logs |
2025 Life Logs, Day 344: Encore Holiday Luncheon
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Weather: Mostly Cloudy but Warmer; High Temp 49 Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
It was warm enough today that I didn’t even wear a coat. After the chill yesterday, today was wonderful, even though it was cloudy. But this afternoon, the wind started building and tomorrow and Friday are going to be super windy. No matter the temperature, it will feel chilly again. But at this time of you, you cherish warm days like today. This afternoon, I even did a little garden clean up.
But this morning and into the afternoon, I was at the Coonemessett Inn for the Encore Holiday Luncheon. I, along with the Assistant Program VP, were in charge of the luncheon and I think a good time was had by all. Ann Loos, the Assistant VP invited Laura Sciortino and four of her ballet dancers from Turning Pointe Dance Studio to come greet people as they entered the foyer of the Inn and take their donations for the Falmouth Service Center. Then the dancers performed to music from the Nutcracker before lunch was served.
There were 3 girls from high school and one younger. They were all spectacular, lunch was great, needy children in Falmouth will receive new waterproof gloves, mittens, and hats for Christmas (the donations), and I hope a good time was had by all.
