by Judy Handley | Jan 3, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 03: Covid Rears Its Ugly Head Again
Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Weather: Still Sunny and Slightly Warmer; High Temp 42, Low 31 F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA
It was wonderful to have all family members healthy for our Christmas in Maine, but last night after I got home from Heather and Jed’s, they texted to tell me that Jonah tested positive for Covid. He came home from school yesterday feeling terrible, so we sat far away from each other at dinner. His symptoms got even worse after I left, thus the Covid test. Heather has also tested Positive, but just barely. She thinks she must have had a very light case of Covid and exposed Jonah and thinks she will probably test Negative in the next day or so. But I have been exposed and just hope that I don’t get Covid and have to delay my back surgery. I’ll keep downing the elderberry and zinc and hope for the best. And I also hope that Jonah feels better tomorrow. He has a fever, runny nose, and chills. Heather said he stays so bundled up they can’t tell if he really has a fever. I sure hope Ollie, Sam, and Jed don’t get this.
I hope I was not being irresponsible, but I went ahead and went to two meetings today thinking that I am probably not contagious this point. Starting tomorrow, however, I will isolate except for my Pre-Op appointment with Dr. Papavasiliou’s assistant, Shannon, tomorrow at 11:30 am. I might try to call in the morning and see if we can do that appointment via Zoom. Heather wants to be included as well, so a three-way Zoom call is probably the safest route. I’ll let Shannon decide that. And I certainly won’t go to my wine group gathering tomorrow night. Bummer. I would love to see everyone, but I don’t want to possibly expose them to Covid.
The meetings I attended today were both Newcomers/Encore related. In the late afternoon I went to my monthly meeting with the Health and Wellness Group. This was a new activity added this year and each meeting has been attended by only four or five people. Today there were four of us, one a newcomer to the group. We are going to continue and hope that in the spring we will get more people. Before my next meeting, I had time to come home to eat dinner and go outside to play with Shadow, but it was dark. So, I parked the car so the headlights would illuminate part of the front yard and used the porch light and the automatic outside spotlight. I walked down the path to the spot that first turns it on and then Shadow running through that same spot kept it on the whole time we played fetch. That new activity was a success. Then it was time for the second meeting which was a Newcomers group exploring how they can best express that the organization embraces diversity. I was there as an observer from Encore. It was a very positive and successful meeting with a group of incredibly caring people. We come up with a purpose statement that includes diversity and that statement will be presented to the Newcomers Board. They will take it from there.
by Judy Handley | Dec 31, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs, 2024 Life Logs, 2034 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 365: Happy New Year
Date: Sunday, December 31, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 39, Low 31 F
Location: At Home on Lakeview in Falmouth, MA
Happy New Year! I spent my day shopping and getting ready for New Year’s Day. Heather and gang will be home tomorrow evening and I offered to fix dinner. I had hoped we could have sushi, but our sushi source is closed tomorrow night. So I have artichokes or beef stew as the offering. The beef is marinating in wine and the artichokes are in the pantry. I’ll wait to see what the Goldpebbles vote for.
On New Years Eve I get a bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse to have with Mark. When I first met him, but was still deciding if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, I drove to Bloomington, Indiana to spend a weekend with him. I had only met him at a public television conference, so this would be our first meeting after that. He lived in a hard to find spot, so he met me at a designated place. He arrived in his little green sports car convertible and when we got to his house, he broke out a bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse wine. I was already in love, but this sealed the deal. So Pouilly-Fuisse became our signature wine and now that I don’t have Mark, I have a toast to him every New Year with this wine. Tonight, Shadow and I sat together while I made my toast.
I made a toast with a hope for peace in the world. But more realistic hopes were that we can all stay grounded during coming year which could be quite challenging on the home front, as well as in the world aboard.
Tonight Heather, Jed, and the Goldpebbles are in Vermont celebrating with good friends after a day on the slopes.
Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco celebrated
and then head down to Rincon for their New Year’s Silver Mouse concert. Shadow and I are here at home celebrating the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. Here on the home front, and in the world abroad, 2024 looks to be a most challenging year. But we must all plunge into 2024 with an optimistic view, hoping for the best. Here we go.
by Judy Handley | Dec 30, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 364: Trying to Catch-Up
Date: Saturday, December 30, 2023
Weather: Cloudy Turning Partly Sunny; High 46, Low 31 F
Location: At Home on Lakeview in Falmouth, MA
Everyone needs a catch-up day or days after Christmas, so I started the catch-up process today. I put away Christmas gifts, mostly stocking stuffers, got on my computer and went to my bank’s bill pay to make sure everything was being paid on time, and then took a break to start working on a puzzle I got out before Christmas. I had separated most of the pieces by color and edge pieces. I was successful in getting the framing done with the exception of a few pieces I must have missed in the sorting process. By this time, it was almost one o’clock and sun was streaming into the living room. I haven’t seen sunshine for a full seven days. Shadow and I headed outside to play fetch and just enjoy the sunshine. I have a chair in the backyard where I can sit and throw the ball for Shadow with my Chuck-It.
And I can sit in that chair and let the sunshine soak in.
When we came back inside, I got caught up on Christmas letters I have received and almost got motivated to write one myself. That’s tentatively on the list for tomorrow. I am not sure where the rest of the day went, but I think that puzzle caught my attention more than once. Shadow and I drove over to Heather and Jed’s to feed the kitties and the fish, and I did a laundry and then fixed dinner. I am no longer on Prednisone, and as a result I am having a more difficult time getting around. I just have to spend more time sitting between any walking activities which slows me down considerably. But at least I am able to get around. For that I am thankful.
by Judy Handley | Dec 29, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 363: Slowly Rolling Along
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023
Weather: Overcast; High 46, Low 41 F
Location: At Home on Lakeview in Falmouth, MA
Only two more days in 2023. I have a few things I want to get done before the end of the year, so little by little I am attacking my list. I checked off the easy ones today. I wanted to send a small package to Marti in Boothbay, so I went to the post office to get that done first. While there, I picked up a Priority flat rate box to send a package to Puerto Rico. I had a few things I have meant to send for quite some time. Rather than put those things away to send another time, I got that done today as well. Between trips to the post office, a trip to Mashpee, fixing lunch and dinner, writing an email to Jo’s parents, and playing fetch with Shadow, that was my day. I wish I had something more exciting to write about, but right now, just making it through the day is exciting for me!
by Judy Handley | Dec 28, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 362: Rainy Day
Date: Thursday, December 28, 2023
Weather: Rain All Day; High 50, Low 41 F
Location: At Home on Lakeview in Falmouth, MA
On this rainy morning, I took Shadow out for his morning walk and made it all the way around the block. That is only two tenths of a mile, but it is further than I have walked for a time now. I then made my way to the Falmouth Hospital to get an Xray and an EKG that are necessary for my upcoming back surgery. I had to wait more than an hour for the EKG, so it was after noon when I returned home. I made a huge arugula, beet, and sheep’s milk feta salad for lunch and then succumbed to the overwhelming feeling of sleepiness that I think is caused by the medication I am taking for the nerve pain. Until three days ago, I was taking this medication along with Prednisone and somehow the combination didn’t make me a sleepy head, but without the Prednisone, at about 2 pm in the afternoon, I just can’t keep my eyes open. So today I took a nap and didn’t get up until almost 4 pm. I went out in the rain and played fetch with Shadow, drove over to check on the Goldstone’s kitties and fish, and came home and fixed dinner. That’s it for my day.
by Judy Handley | Dec 27, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 361: Adapting
Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Weather: Overcast, Foggy Late PM; High 49, Low 51 F
Location: At Home on Lakeview in Falmouth, MA
It was warmer than usual for this time of year the three days I spent in Boothbay and today it was certainly warmer here than expected for late December. It as in the upper 40’s and a coat was not needed for trips outside with Shadow. There was no sunshine today, just overcast with fog rolling in around 5 pm while Shadow and I were outside playing fetch.
I spent my day rearranging the kitchen, adapting things to be more convenient for me to use. My new microwave, my gift from Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco now sits next to the stove and the new shelf from IKEA is on the counter next to my refrigerator with lots of glass storage containers on the counter under the shelf and on top of the shelf. One adaptation completed; many more to make.
While working in the kitchen, I did a laundry and made vegetable soup. I also went to Heather’s where I met up with Peter and Karen Baranowski once more. I was there to check on the cats and feed them while Karen and Peter carried in the bags of Christmas gifts brought home from Boothbay. Again, thank you for being such good friends.
The way my back and legs feel right now tells me I overdid it a bit today. Time to head to bed with a cold pack.
