by Judy Handley | Apr 23, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 113: Reinforcements for Boat Work
Date: Sunday, April 23, 2023
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Beginning in the PM; High 53, Low 45 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The Goldstones made it home from their week in DC with Grammy Marti late last night and I had reinforcements for boat work this afternoon. Even with all of us working, we still have parts of the toe rail and the underside of the bow sprit that need varnish removed. I hope to finish the toe rail tomorrow, all but the underside that will have to be done from a ladder from below. We also started sanding today. I will do a couple of hours tomorrow and again on Tuesday, but then I will set aside boat work and get ready for my trip to North Carolina for the Celebration of Life for my niece who died in September. I leave on Thursday and return on Tuesday. Heather will fly down on Friday evening after work and return on Sunday.
I joined the Goldstones for dinner, and everyone shared the experience they liked most this week. Sam loved his tour of Georgetown University. Can I really have a grandson old enough to be looking at colleges?!!! Jonah liked the tour of the monuments at night and the zoo. Ollie loved all of the different food adventures, foods from around the world. And he was also very proud of the fact that he stood on the exact spot where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream Speech.” Heather agreed with Jonah and Ollie, loving the tour of the of the monuments at night when they are all lit up, various zoo experiences, and the foods from around the world. Jed enjoyed the tour of the Capitol but was disappointed that they didn’t get to see the Senate and House chambers. Something for next time. The highlight of my week was my tour of the Massachusetts Alternative Septic Systems facility. It was a great school vacation week for all.
by Judy Handley | Apr 22, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 112: Earth Day 2023
Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 53, Low 48 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Invest in Our Planet … the theme for Earth Day 2023. I hope each of you spent a bit of time today considering how you presently invest in our planet and how you can do more.
I had a good day with an intended relaxed morning. I headed out of here by 10:00 am to be out of the way of the realtor who was having an Open House here today. I took dirty laundry and Shadow to Heather and Jed’s, fed the kitties, started the laundry, and secured Shadow in the ‘red room’ over the garage. It is the bonus room and is called the ‘red room’ because the carpet is a deep red.
Once Shadow was settled in, I left for the boat. As I stated in last night’s log, I hoped to be finished with varnish removal today. Silly me. I made great progress, but some of the places are just too hard for me to get to without compromising my back and knees. I have a bit more I can do, and then I will have to wait for help. I heard from Heather that they got caught in terrible traffic in Connecticut and were going to have to stop for dinner and arrive home around 9 or 10 pm. Hopefully they are home by now. She invited me to dinner tomorrow night so I can hear all about the week in DC.
Just got off the phone with my friend Lynne Kirwin in New Zealand. In only six weeks she will be coming to spend the summer in Michigan with her family. And she will come to visit with me as well—just not sure of the timing yet. Whenever, it will be great to see her.
by Judy Handley | Apr 21, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 111: Almost There with Varnish Removal
Date: Friday, April 21, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 54, Low 42 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was dedicated to varnish removal. My plan was to be at the boat by 10 am, come home for lunch and rest at 1 pm, and back to the boat at 3 o’clock. I did not expect another house showing today as tomorrow there is 3-hour Open House. But just before I left for the boat, the realtor called and said there would be a showing at 2 pm and the dog and I would need to vacate. I got things ready, which delayed my departure a bit, and headed to Karen Baranowski’s to pick something up before going to the boat. When she heard that I might not be able to return to the boat in the afternoon because I had nowhere to leave Shadow, she offered to babysit for the afternoon. That worked out great. Thank you to Peter and Karen. And the thing I picked up was a tube of NAID arthritis topical pain reliever for my right knee. She suggested that I try it, and it did the trick. I am going to try applying it each morning and at night and hope it keeps working as well as it did today. Another thank you to Karen.
I returned home at 1 pm to pick up lunch and Shadow, dropped him at Karen and Peter’s, and then went into town to Heather and Jed’s to feed the kitties. I ate lunch there, relaxed a bit, and then headed to the boat. I still have the bowsprit, the outside of the toe rail, and a few tight spots in the cockpit to tackle tomorrow. I would be elated if I could get that done tomorrow so I can start sanding on Sunday. Shadow and I leave here tomorrow at 10:30 am as the Open House begins at 11 o’clock. I am going to leave him in the bonus room over the garage at Heather and Jed’s tomorrow. Since I have never done that before, I’ll come check on him and eat a late lunch around 2 pm and then go back to the boat for another hour or two. Here’s hoping I complete the varnish removal tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Apr 20, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 110: Meeting Here, Meeting There, Meeting, Meeting Everywhere
Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 54, Low 42 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
What a day! It started like any normal day with a walk with Shadow. But then I had to go ‘meet’ with my chiropractor in Mashpee. From there I drove to Falmouth to ‘meet’ with Leo and Mel Mel to feed them. I came home and got lunch ready for my lunch meeting with Christina Brodie who will be co-president with me for Encore starting on July 1. We invited the current co-presidents to ‘meet’ with us so we could pick their brains on what they have learned during their tenure. That two-hour meeting lasted an hour and 15 minutes longer than expected, so I had to quickly take Shadow out for a pee break, go pick up Karen Baranowski, and head for Midge Frieswyk’s condo to ‘meet’ for an early dinner with my dining-in group.
I got home, talked to my sister for a few minutes, and then my neighbor Andrew popped in for an impromptu hello. We had a great ‘catch up on life meeting’. He just left and it is now time to go to bed. I will be so glad to ‘meet’ my pillow tonight!
by Judy Handley | Apr 19, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 109: My First Encore Meeting
Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 52, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
After seven years in Falmouth Newcomers, or at any time you choose, you move on to the sister organization called Encore. That move for me was today, one year early. The premature exit from Newcomers was because my name was brought forth today to serve as Co-President of Encore with my good friend Christina Brodie for the next two years. The proposed slate of officers was approved, so Christina and I will take over the helm on the first of July. I am so happy to be able to serve in this position as a way of thanking Newcomers for all it has done for my life after losing Mark. Nothing really changes will you move ‘up’ to Encore. I’ll be in the same book club, the same dining-in group, the same wine group, and will continue as the co-leader of the field trip and the public policy groups. And while doing that, I hope to help make the transition from a Newcomer to an Encore member seamless for all.
Tomorrow, I host a working lunch here at the cottage with Christina and the current Co-Presidents of Encore. And just as that ends, I head to an early gathering of my dining-in group. Two members have to drive to the Boston area tomorrow evening, so we are having a very early dinner. I am providing dessert, so this afternoon and evening I have been baking a flourless chocolate decadence cake for dessert (a three hour affair) and a quiche for lunch tomorrow. There was no time for boat work today and there won’t be time tomorrow. But Friday and Saturday, I have dedicated my full time to varnish removal and sanding.
I got a text from Jonah today asking how the kittens are doing. They are now full-grown cats but will always be kittens to all of us. He also sent me some photos he took when they toured the Capitol today. He said they are having a great week in DC, but obviously they miss Mel Mel and Leo. I’ll send photos tomorrow morning when I feed them.
by Judy Handley | Apr 18, 2023 | 2023 Life Logs |
2023 Life Logs, Day 108: Celebrating Earth Day a Little Early
Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Weather: Foggy with Drizzle, Windy; High 57, Low 42 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
My day started by taking Shadow to his every six-week ‘beauty shop’ appointment to be groomed. I dropped him and went to the boat to work for a couple of hours. Just before noon, I headed into Falmouth to feed the cats at Heather and Jed’s and then home to grab a bite of lunch before going on a little field trip to the MASSTC (Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center).
The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center is the nation’s leading third-party testing and research facility for innovative/alternative (I/A) onsite septic treatment technologies. There are only three test centers in the United States and the work they are doing is so important for the environment. Thus, the title of this log. I felt like I was celebrating Earth Day just a couple of days early. Our guide was a young man named Bryan Horsley. Bryan is the site Operator and is passionate about protecting the local environment.
But what is an innovative/alternative (I/A) septic system test center? It doesn’t sound exciting, but I found it to be one of the best Newscomers field trip I have attended. It is just what the title indicates, a site where alternative septic systems are tested. But why is this necessary? It took Bryan an hour and half to explain it to us, but one of his explanations stuck with me. Our current way of dealing with human waste is linear. We flush and everything goes into a city sewer system or septic tank in our yard. If it is the latter, the solids sink in a tank and the liquids go through a pipe to a second tank and eventually into plastic pipes with holes in them in a leech field of sand. The liquid leaks out of the pipes into the ground and eventually finds its way into the water table or into a waterway. A huge amount of nitrogen and phosphates are in that liquid. The alternative systems are circular. Everything can be the same up to the leech field, but in many of the alternative systems, the leech field. There is still sand, but under the sand there can be wood chips or silt or both. As the liquid filters through this organic material, nitrification takes place. The ammonia in our urine combines with oxygen changing the nitrogen into nitrates and nitrites which plants can absorb as food or fertilizer. So instead of sending harmful nitrogen into our waterways, the nitrites and nitrates can be used to feed plants. There are all kinds of exciting innovations. I am not explaining this very well as I have a lot to learn. One of the main goals of the center, other can research and product testing, is education and outreach. Our guide, Bryan, did a great job of explaining the systems and getting all of us to want to learn more.
I headed back to the boat after the field trip and made a lot of progress in varnish removal. I won’t get to go back to the boat until Friday, but I am hopeful that I might complete the removal Friday and start sanding on Saturday. That might be a bit too ambitious, but I can hope. I stopped working this afternoon when I got the text that Shadow was ready for pick up. We came home and both of us crashed. My right knee desperately needed to be elevated and iced, so we sat on the sofa, and I watched a couple of episodes of Succession. I watched one episode the other day and got hooked.
