by Judy Handley | May 2, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 123: Vegan Lunch Bunch, Soccer Practice, Meet the Candidate
Date: Thursday, May 2, 2024
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Late; High Temp 53, Low 45 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today was the third gathering of the Vegan Lunch Bunch. There are two couples, plus myself, that have formed this informal group to share healthy food ideas. None of us are die-hard vegans. We are just trying to move toward a healthy, vegetarian diet, so we decided to start monthly luncheons to share ideas. Today the entrée was Parmesan tempeh, an adaptation of Ina Garten’s Parmesan chicken, with chickpea noodles and homemade marinara sauce. It was yummy. Added to that was an arugula and spring mix salad and for dessert, a chocolate beetroot cake with raspberries drizzled with a vegan dark chocolate fondue sauce. The Parmesan was a homemade vegan cheese and the only sweetening in the dessert was maple syrup. So, no processed sugar, no dairy, and no gluten except for the sourdough bread. And, of course, no meat. All delicious.
Walking the dog, doing my exercises, and getting the dessert ready for the luncheon took my whole morning. The three gatherings of the Vegan Lunch Bunch have each lasted three to four hours because we find so many things to talk about. I had to leave a little early today as I had to get home to play ball with Shadow before taking Ollie to his soccer practice. And then on the way home, Ollie and I stopped by Bad Martha’s to attend Heather’s Meet the Candidate night and have some pizza. It was a full, but fun day. Early tomorrow morning, I head to the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut with the Newcomers/Encore Field Trip group. So, I need to stop writing and get myself to bed so I will be ready for a big day.
by Judy Handley | May 1, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 122: Happy First Day of May
Date: Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Weather: Rain Early, Mostly Cloudy; High Temp 53, Low 45 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
May 1st is almost over, so I have started the countdown to May 13 when I have my right knee replacement surgery. I can’t say I look forward to the surgery, but I honestly can’t wait. For the past two weeks, my right knee has gotten progressively more painful with each day. If I didn’t have a good brace, I would be walking very little. But with the help of the brace, I am still getting around. It just comes at the cost of pain, especially in the evenings when I am tired. Eleven days to go!
When I wrote the title of this log, I asked myself, “What is May Day?” I have visions of children dancing around a maypole, but I realized I had no idea why. So, I Googled May Day and here is what I found.
“In the United States, the holiday was first celebrated in 1886, as part of the struggle for the eight-hour workday. On May 1st of that year, hundreds of thousands of workers across the country went on strike, demanding better working conditions and shorter working hours.” Hmmm. Some things never change.
“In other parts of the world, the holiday has a different history. In Europe, for example, it finds its roots in pagan traditions, particularly the celebration of Beltane, a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of summer. In Germany, the day is known as Maifeiertag and is celebrated with dancing, singing and the raising of maypoles. In Finland and Sweden, May Day is celebrated with picnics and outdoor activities, while in the United Kingdom, the celebration includes Morris dancing and other traditional folk customs.”
So happy first day of May, whatever it might mean to you.
by Judy Handley | Apr 30, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 121: Dental Cleaning Appointment and Granola
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Weather: Overcast; High Temp 53, Low 45 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
I honestly don’t know where the time goes, but the hours in a day pass by quickly. By the time I got up, took Shadow for a walk, had breakfast and checked my email, it was time for my 10 am dental cleaning. When I got home from that, I made granola and put that in the oven to bake, did my exercises, and answered some emails. Somehow, I didn’t get to eat lunch until almost 2:30 pm and then it was time to go pick up Ollie and take him to his 4 pm saxophone lesson, then later on to soccer practice. I had an hour between those two activities, and I spent that outside playing ball with Shadow. All I can figure is that I must move at the pace of a turtle. It seems like I should be able pack in way more in a day, but that was it for today.
by Judy Handley | Apr 29, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 120: Pre-Op Appointments, Final Back PT Session
Date: Monday, April 29, 2024
Weather: Beautiful Day; High Temp 68, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
This day was all about closing the chapter on my back surgery rehabilitation and moving on to the knee replacement chapter. I had my final physical therapy session this afternoon for my back. Of course, my back rehab should continue on for the rest of my life, but I have been trained in what I need to do. I just need to make sure I do my exercises, walk, and ride my exercise bike every day and be ever aware of the proper way to lift and bend (from the knees, not the waist).
Now the knee replacement preparation has begun. I had my pre-op appointment with Cape Cod Orthopedics in Hyannis and then went to the Cape Cod Hospital for the required testing. I did find out that the plan is to release me to go home right after the surgery. I won’t be staying in the hospital if things go as planned.
The traffic in Hyannis was insane today. It took me 35 minutes to drive from the hospital to Whole Foods. That normally would have taken 5 minutes, 10 minutes max. I did some food shopping and then headed back to Falmouth for my PT session. I stopped to visit with a neighbor before finally getting home. I ended my afternoon playing outside with Shadow. It was a warm, sunny day. Too bad I spent most of it inside or driving.
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.
