by Judy Handley | May 11, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 131: Boat Work
Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Sprinkles Late PM; High 69, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I am writing this log on my new computer, but I set aside computer work to do boat work today. Since there was a showing of the cottage this afternoon, I took Shadow with me. He stayed in the car while I sanded, sanded, and sanded some more. And there is still more to do. But tomorrow I will divide my time between boat, computer, and Encore work. Hopefully by Saturday, the teak on the boat will be ready to be cleaned with a teak cleaner.
I left the boat at 3:15 this afternoon to head to Lawrence School to pick up Jonah after a field trip day on Cuttyhunk Island. I dropped him at home while I went to Staples to buy a mouse and the adapter I need to connect it to my computer. I got the mouse, but no adapter. I took Jonah to his bass lesson and when I returned Jed was home. Thankfully he was able to find one that belongs to Sam that I can use until I can get one from Amazon and he was able to use a handsaw to cut a sanding block to the width I need to do some final sanding tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be boat work early, Encore interviews mid-day, meeting with computer ‘helper’ at 1 pm, back to boat at 3 pm . Hopefully after my meeting with Art Gilbert, the Newcomers techy guru, I will have a handle on using and transferring data to my new computer. And hopefully the boat sanding will be completed. I think that is a stretch, but it is my hope. Wish me luck.
by Judy Handley | May 10, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 130: Working on Getting Connected
Date: Wednesday, May10, 2023
Weather: Sunny; High 63, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The saga continues. I had a very busy day and did not get to start working on my new computer until tonight. Oh my, the things one takes for granted until you don’t. The new computer has a touch pad and a touch screen. But it does not have two ‘old fashioned’ USB ports. So, I can’t have my current hard drives connected to download files and use my ‘old fashioned’ mouse at the same time. I will go to Staples first thing in the morning to see if there is a mouse that can plug into the newer USB C ports. Or maybe I can get a USB C hub that has two or three regular USB connectors I can plug into. I literally don’t know how to cut and paste using the touch pad. Once I can use a mouse with a hard drive connected to the new computer, I can start copying My Documents from the old computer onto a hard drive and then saving the files and folders on the new computer. But I need my mouse to do this. I have the techy ‘king’ of Newcomers coming on Friday afternoon to help me transfer files, get apps on the new computer, etc, etc. But until then I will limp along.
This morning I attended my first Encore Board meeting. Those of us who will be the new officers for 2023-24 were invited to observe. That took longer than I expected as, along with the other co-president elect, Christina Brodie, we started our “Getting to Know You” interviews with other Board members. I left downtown around noon, dropped a huge load of bedding at the laundromat, headed home to grab a bite to eat and let Shadow out, went back to the laundromat to put the bedding in the dryer, and got back to Sullivan Tire for a 1 pm appointment to change the oil, rotate the tires, and install a new driver’s side brake light. Whew! Then it was back to the laundromat to pick up the laundry, go back home to walk with Shadow, and then come back to town to pick Ollie up and take him to his saxophone lesson. By the way, the reason I had to wash all the bedding is that Shadow threw up on the bed. Since I got home from North Carolina, his stomach has just not been settled. I do think it is better today. I sure hope so as these trips to the laundromat are killing me.
This day would have been so much easier if I were already living at the new house in town. I look forward to that. By the time I did finally get home, I needed time to just do nothing, so I watched the latest episode of Ted Lasso before attacking the computer issues. Tomorrow, I work on the boat all day, so the computer work just has to wait until Friday. But it is coming along.
by Judy Handley | May 9, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 129: New Computer
Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Weather: Sunny, Windy; High 74, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was a Book Club, work on the boat, and take Sam to Harwich to rowing kind of day. But instead of sitting and reading for the two hours Sam rowed, I drove back to Hyannis to go to Best Buy to look at computers. Sam made a list of what I wanted—16 GB of RAM, 12 generation or newer i5, 15 inch touch screen, HDMI port if possible, etc for under $1,000. I showed the list to a salesperson at Best Buy and he led me to a Lenova that was on clearance. They had only one and Sam and I came home with it. Heather spent the next hour and a half getting it going and I headed home. I had Word, but I couldn’t find Outlook, the way I get my email. I knew Heather put it on the computer, but I was just too tired. So this is being posted a day late. Things are coming along.
by Judy Handley | May 8, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 128: Disconnected
Date: Monday, May 8, 2023
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 72, Low 45 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I am writing this log, but I will not be able to send it as my computer is currently disconnected from the internet. I don’t know if it is a computer problem or an internet provider. I just spent an hour and a half on the phone with a technician who ended up saying he couldn’t figure it out and that he would send a technician tomorrow morning. A new cable box that was installed by the internet provider two weeks ago seems to be malfunctioning. But I have been having issues with my computer since the trip to Vermont in February, so I think I have two problems. Much to figure out, so stay tuned for the results when I am once again connected.
I spent most of my day at the boat sanding. Making progress, but much left to do. And I had the evening off as I didn’t have to drive Sam to rowing practice this afternoon. He decided this morning that he is not going to rowing practice on Mondays any longer. It made for an insanely long day for him as we had to leave at 3 pm to get to Harwich for 4 pm rowing, row for two hours, eat a quick dinner that I got for him while we drove a couple of miles to the soccer field where he then had soccer practice for an hour and a half and then home after 9 pm. For the rest of the spring, he will row on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning, and go to soccer practice M-W-F. I agree with his decision. Mondays were just crazy. He loves soccer and rowing, but two sports in the spring season, both with practices 50 minutes from home is just too much.
Good news from Puerto Rico. Ziggy was accepted today into the high school of his choice for next year. Congratulations, Ziggy!!!
by Judy Handley | May 7, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 127: Soccer Sunday
Date: Sunday, May 7, 2023
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 69, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was soccer Sunday. I got up and got the cottage ready for another Sunday Open House. I had hoped to work on the boat for a couple of hours before leaving for Whitensville, MA for Sam’s soccer game, but that was an optimistic hope. Whitensville is an hour and a half north of here, so it was an all-afternoon affair. I left home at 10:45 am and returned after 5 pm. It was a long afternoon, but the weather was beautiful. It was a good soccer game as the teams were well-matched. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. Sam plays defense and he played a really good game.
I left Shadow at the Goldstones this afternoon since there was an Open House here. When I dropped Sam off, I picked him up and headed home. I was outside playing with Shadow when I got a text from Heather inviting me to come back for dinner. Since I had no idea what I was going to eat, it was a most welcome invitation.
Heather did get boat work done this afternoon. Jed couldn’t help since he had to take Jonah to his soccer game mid-afternoon, but Heather made more progress on preparing the bottom of the boat to be painted. Unfortunately, there is more sanding and stripping to be done. Hopefully that will be completed next Saturday.
by Judy Handley | May 6, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 126: Boat, Soccer, and a Coronation
Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 69, Low 50 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today I went from boat work to a soccer game to watching the coronation of a King. Quite an interesting array of activities. My boat work today was mostly assisting. I reviewed with Ollie how to use the electric sander to sand the inside and top of the toe rail and then set him loose to do that. I forgot to tell him to make sure there was masking tape applied to the deck next to the toe rail to protect the fiberglass deck from any sanding mishaps. But he remembered and applied the tape on his own. Ollie is only eleven, but he is every bit as good and reliable as many adults. About the time I finished giving Ollie directions, Heather asked me come down from the boat and consult with her and with Jed about how to proceed with the stripping of old bottom paint near the waterline that was not removed by the soda blasting process. We came up with a plan that required Jed to go home to get some things we needed. While he was gone, Heather and Sam applied masking tape just above the waterline to protect the fiberglass hull once Jed returned and started sanding.
We abandoned the idea of using stripper. It take too long and the sanding worked just fine. As in all jobs, the prep often takes longer than the actual work. Taping is tedious and required moving two ladders, one for the taper (Heather) and one for the person holding the tape (Sam). I was the overseer to make sure it was done right.
We were still finishing up the taping job when Jed returned. And it was time for me to take Ollie home to get dressed for an afternoon soccer game and to get him some lunch. Jonah was expected home soon as he had been in an off-Cape soccer game all morning. Friends delivered him home and then he went with Ollie and I to Ollie’s soccer game.
We returned home after the soccer game, and I got my clothes out of the dryer. Somehow I was able to get a laundry done in between trips to and fro. Since there was an Open House at the cottage today, I had Shadow with me. He went to the boat with me, but I left him in the upstairs ‘red’ room during Ollie’s soccer game. Unfortunately, when he was a puppy, the boys and I taught him to run after soccer balls. Now, every time he sees a soccer ball, he goes after it. That makes taking him to a soccer game an impossibility. I planned to return to the boat, but it was almost 5 pm and Heather, Jed, and Sam were headed home.
Tomorrow morning, Shadow and I will return to the boat for a couple of hours. Then I take off with Sam and his friend Sebi to a soccer game north of Providence, RI. It is an hour and a half drive, so we have to leave by 11:30 and won’t get back until almost 5 pm. We’ll stop by the boat on the way home to check progress.
Now for the coronation of a King. My daughter-in-law Jo is from England and I saw her Facebook post where she was very vividly explaining why she would not be watching the coronation of King Charles. I fully understand her feelings, but I am just too much of history buff to totally ignore this historic event that took place this morning between 5 and 10 am EST. I taped the event and started watching it tonight. Using fast forward, I watched the first three hours in two hours, and I ended up agreeing with Jo. My main take away is that the British monarchy has way too many jewels, and they need to separate church from state. Watching the very religious ceremony made me even more appreciative of our forefathers in this country who made it clear that church and state should be separated. In the United States, we are currently going through a challenging period where there is a loud contingency pushing to get religion back into the mix, but we must stand firm.
