by Judy Handley | Jul 4, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 185: Rainy 4th of July
Date: Tuesday, July 4, 2023
Weather: Rainy Day; High 78, Low 65 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
We had a rainy 4th of July. It rained overnight and in the early morning. Then the rain held off for a few hours—long enough for Heather’s neighborhood to have their 4th of July mid-day pool party. Then the rain returned. In the early evening we had thunderstorms causing the 4th of July fireworks to be cancelled for tonight and rescheduled for tomorrow night. So, our 4th celebrations will continue tomorrow. But I did watch the Boston Pops Fireworks on TV and Shadow and I are hearing lots of fireworks going off in town.
I had my own little Independence Day celebration. I got the remainder of the boxes unpacked and put away. Hurray! And I went back to the cottage and got everything left in the house packed up. That does not include the basement, but hopefully I can get the boys to help me get the packed boxes moved here and then pack my car with things that need to go to the Swap Shop. When that is done, I have to find a home for the pieces of furniture I am leaving behind. It is just small pieces, but I need to get them out of the cottage. Then I’ll start on the basement. But the immediate need is to get things out of the house. The never-ending move continues.
I think the new house looks great. Bruce and Jane Woodin stopped by for a few minutes this afternoon to see the progress and they loved what they saw . . . a living room with books on the shelves instead of in boxes,
a dining room with a table and chairs and built-in shelving full of books and memorabilia,
my little ‘office’ on the top of my old treadle Singer Sewing machine in the hallway,
a bedroom with all boxes unpacked,
a panty filled with food,
and a fully working kitchen.
It has taken 10 days to get to this point and it feels so good to be settled in.
by Judy Handley | Jul 3, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 184: A Wild Goose Chase of a Day
Date: Monday, July 3, 2023
Weather: Party Sunny, Morning Fog, Rain Overnight; High 78, Low 67 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
It was one of those days when things just don’t work out. Heather had to work today, so I had the boys. We had not gone to the boat to pump all of the rainwater out of the dinghy due to July 4th weekend traffic. But traffic was lighter today, so we decided to do that. And as long as we were going that far, I decided to drive on up to IKEA to get the half-high book shelf I need to complete the living room. I have the television sitting on the top of one half high, but the base is a little longer than the shelf top and needs another shelf for support. Jonah was tired from his overnight and I needed a break from lifting and unpacking boxes, so off we went. Sitting in the car sounded like a good thing. But, unfortunately, IKEA did not have the book shelf I needed. Bummer to drive all that way and not get it. I should have checked the website before I went, but I didn’t. Then we went back to the boat and there was very little water in it. The friends of Heather’s who are letting her use their mooring had pumped it out for us because it was looking ‘precarious’. Good to have friends who will do that for you. So, the trip to IKEA and to pump out the dinghy were the day’s wild goose chase. Then, just now, I got a text from Heather. Jed got home from Denmark tonight and he has Covid. As Heather said, that complicates things a bit. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!
by Judy Handley | Jul 2, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 183: For the Love of Fish
Date: Sunday, July 2, 2023
Weather: Sunny; High 76, Low 64 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Yesterday I wrote about the love of turtles because I believe I have turned into one. At least, I am working at the rate of a turtle. Today was all about the love of fish. I found out this morning that Ollie has talked his mom into letting him take my aquarium. Lynda, the friend and woman I rent from, is hesitant about having an aquarium in the house. She has just had all the floors redone and doesn’t want to take the chance of ruining them with an aquarium that might leak at some point. So, I have just left my aquarium at the cottage until I figured out what to do with it. The number of fish left had dwindled to only one as I have not been replacing any since I knew I was going to move. But I didn’t want to flush the one survivor! It was great news to hear that Ollie wants it, so we all went out to pack up a few things and to transfer the aquarium to 43 Grasmere. Ollie has named the lone Tetra Filmore. If Filmore survives the move, he will be getting some new friends.
Sam worked today, but Heather and the boys had an afternoon and evening of parties. Their next door neighbor from their previous house on Vidal was having a 50th birthday party. Happy Birthday, Melissa. Then Ollie has a friend named Reese who was having a party. And at 4 pm, they picked up Sam early from work to go to Sam’s friend Sebastian’s Sweet Sixteen party. Heather left Sam at that party long enough to take Jonah to an overnighter with a friend and bring Ollie here. He was bored with the teenagers. Heather returned to the party and Ollie and I accomplished so much. He helped me put hardware cloth around the small back deck to keep Shadow from escaping. In the evenings, I like to sit out there and not worry that Shadow might wander off. Well, while we were putting up the fencing, my fears materialized. All of sudden, Shadow was gone. We called and called, but he didn’t return. It was still light out, so I got in the car. As I reached the end of the driveway, I saw a couple walking down the sidewalk with a dog that looked like Shadow. It was. They live three houses away and found him in their backyard. He had gotten there by going through the woods behind our houses. The problem is that they live only one house away from a very street in town. My country dog is going to have to learn how to be a city dog and not stray away from home.
Ollie and I finished the deck surround and then went inside and put books on shelves. He was able to put things on the very top shelf in the dining room and it looks great. Later Heather returned to pick up Ollie, but she was going to have to go back and pick up Sam later. Instead of going home, the three of us ended up talking away the rest of the evening. A friend brought Sam home, so at almost 11, Heather and Ollie headed home. Ollie was really tired, but we had a great evening.
by Judy Handley | Jul 1, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 182: For the Love of Turtles
Date: Saturday, July 1, 2023
Weather: Sunny; High 76, Low 63 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Progress today was slow but sure, just like the turtles I love so much. When I lived in New Hampshire, I met a naturalist named David Carroll. David was a swamp walker, and he knew every turtle in that swamp. Through him, I learned to love turtles. And today, I think I turned into one. At least, I certainly moved at their pace.
When I got up this morning, I really didn’t think I was going to be able to do anything today. I have aggravated those herniated disks in my back to the point that I could hardly walk. My back is fine, but it is the pain shooting down into my hips and legs that is the problem. I used a CBD cream that Karen Baranowski gave me yesterday. I waited an hour and was still no better. So, I broke down and took a couple of Ibuprofen. That worked like magic. After a bit I was able to move, slowly, but I could move. I got a few more things put away and then turned to the task of unloading the car that I had packed late yesterday at the cottage. I got a lot of things taken down to the basement and now the car is packed with empty boxes to go the cottage to fill up tomorrow or Monday.
I am going to continue to move like turtle. That means that this move is going to take even longer. But I do have the essentials in place and can start living a normal life style again. I made my first smoothie in three weeks this morning and actually fixed dinner in my kitchen. The basil in my garden is growing like gang busters, so I fixed a big basil, tomato, and fresh mozzarella salad to go with roasted chicken. I feel almost human again!
by Judy Handley | Jun 30, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 181: A Mix of Moving Chores and Camp Oma
Date: Friday, June 30, 2023
Weather: Sunny; High 77, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today was a mix of moving chores and having fun with Ollie and Jonah. I start each day now putting a few things away and at 10 am I went to Heather’s to pick up Jonah and Ollie. We had planned to drive to Marion to bail out the dinghy since we have had so much rain this week. But the traffic on the Cape today was just crazy. The Fourth of July weekend is a big one for Falmouth, so we decided not to travel across the bridge today. It could take us hours to get home. Instead, we decided to wash cars and then go to the beach in the late afternoon. Washing and cleaning the inside of just my car and new ID.4 took longer than we thought, so we didn’t get the Goldstone’s Honda Civic done. Maybe on Monday. The beach was delightful. The water felt cold at first, but once you were in, it was great. Heather met us at the beach after work, so I left the boys with her and made another trip to the Cottage to load some items from the basement. I didn’t have the energy to unload, so that will happen tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Jun 29, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 180: More Trips to the Cottage and Yard Work at Lakeview
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 76, Low 61 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today was a mix of unpacking and putting things away, making more trips to the cottage to pack up more things, and taking time with Ollie and Jonah here at the house on Lakeview doing yard work. They have spent most of their week at home playing soccer on the Xbox, so I really wanted to get them out of the house today. I offered to take them to the beach or to do yardwork. They opted for both. First, yardwork and then a late afternoon trip to the beach where Heather could meet us after work. Ollie brought his little battery-operated John Deere tractor over with its attached wagon, and he had a great time using that to haul the weeds he was pulling to the dumping area. Jonah opted to use the weed eater to trim the yard. His only comment was that this is BIG yard with a lot of trimming because there are so many different garden areas. And he is correct. Lynda cuts the grass, but there is a huge amount of trimming. He then rode his skateboard home and cut the grass in the backyard there. By the time Ollie and I went to pick him up to go to the beach, Heather was home. So, they went to the beach, and I went back to the cottage to bring another load of boxes.
I have joked this week that I am doing this move with one leg and half a back. And that is not much of an exaggeration. Carrying so many boxes has really aggravated my herniated disks to the point that walking is really painful. I tried to get in to see my chiropractor today, but he had no openings. So I just have to keep going until next week. My right knee, the one that needs to be replaced, is also suffering from carrying boxes. I don’t put much in each box, but still they are too heavy. Walking is difficult, sitting is difficult, and standing hurts. So I am going to bed and hope that works! But I should add, that even though the moving process is so painful in many different ways, I am loving the new house and yard. I had a wonderful five years in the cottage, but I think I am going to like it here just as much, maybe even more. I love being in town and being only a minute away from Heather and family. I can already see how much time I am going to gain by not having to drive in and out of town multiple times on most days.
a dining room with a table and chairs and built-in shelving full of books and memorabilia,
my little ‘office’ on the top of my old treadle Singer Sewing machine in the hallway,
a bedroom with all boxes unpacked,
a panty filled with food,
and a fully working kitchen.
It has taken 10 days to get to this point and it feels so good to be settled in.
