by Judy Handley | Nov 18, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 322: Puerto Rican Festival; Water Walks
Date: Friday, November 18, 2022
Weather: Sunny, High 85, Low 74 degrees F
Location: At Home with JJZ&C, Rincon, Puerto Rico
Ziggy and Coco attend a small private school called Foresta and today they hosted a Puerto Rican festival for the families of students.
We dropped Ziggy and Coco off at 9 am and then headed to the beach to take a walk while waiting for the festival to begin at 10 am. We went to the beach near the school, Corcega Beach, a beach I had never been to before. It is a beach lined with homes, hotels, and condos that were built way too close to the water, and since Hurricane Maria in 2017, much of the beach has disappeared and structures are at the water’s edge.
It is a beach where sea turtles come to lay their eggs, and when one of the condos tried to rebuild a swimming pool on the beach, the people went to court to claim their rights to a public beach and won. Many of the condos are truly beach front as high tide comes close to the structures. But we had a delightful walk sighting birds and one turtle in a wet area beyond the beach.
Then it was back to Foresta for the festival.
All of the students were invited to sell the products they have been making as part of an entrepreneurial unit of study. Coco and her friend Maya were selling plants, cookies, and juice and were thrilled that they made over $50.
All of the entrepreneurs were girls as all of the boys declined to participate. So, Ziggy was just hanging out with his friends Caleb, Tommy, and Marlowe.
Justin took me for a tour of the property. There is one permanent structure that houses the pre-k and kindergarten students. You then walk by classrooms under tents for some grades, cross a practice field and come to some portable buildings that house the older students.
My favorite thing was an outdoor pencil sharpener attached to a utility pole!
We were then treated to entertainment by the students. The youngest students sang the Rincon anthem and danced the Salsa.
Four and five-year-olds were paired as couples for the dance and they were unbelievably cute. Then girls in grades five through seven danced the Bomba. This was Coco’s chance to perform and perform she did.
The dancing was followed by a play out on by the younger students about the struggle the local people went through to claim their rights to public beaches. The backdrop was a cardboard condo, one of the ones Justin, Jo, and I had seen on our earlier walk. It was quite engaging and all of the older students watched intently.
After the play, we ate a traditional lunch of roasted pork, rice and beans, and pasta salad. Then school was out for the day, and for all of next week.
At home later in the afternoon, I went for a walk to a small nearby river. We walked down through the property, went into the woods, climbed down one very wet and slippery bank to cross a small creek and then up another steep and slippery bank and on the river. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, but I persisted with help from Ziggy and Coco. When we reached the river (more the size of creek), we walked upstream and then downstream before returning home.
Coco taught me how to play the card game called Stress and I finally won one game. Then tonight we had homemade pizza for dinner and watched a movie.
by Judy Handley | Nov 17, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 321: Free and Easy First Day in PR
Date: Thursday, November 17, 2022
Weather: Sunny AM, Mixed Sun and Rain PM; High 85, Low 75 degrees F
Location: At Home with JJZ&C, Rincon, Puerto Rico
Jo took Ziggy and Coco to school early this morning and I then had what I call a free and easy day until they returned from school in the afternoon. I sat on the front porch drinking tea, reading, soaking in the view of breadfruit trees,
passion fruit vines,
assorted tropical plants,
went for a walk around the property noting the various kind of plants and trees (of which there are many) and huge banana spiders,
went back to the front porch to read some more, had lunch, did a little clean up in the kitchen, watched Justin and Jo working with Hopi,
and then read some more. Tough life. Once the kids got home from school, we had an afternoon snack and then I watched Coco and Jo play a card game called Stress. Coco has promised to teach me to play tomorrow. Then Ziggy had a piano lesson at 5 pm. Coco and I decided to go with Justin and Ziggy and go to the Thursday night Art Mart on the plaza afterwards. Unfortunately, Ziggy’s teacher didn’t show up, so we went to the plaza early and the kids looked for friends to hang out with. Justin and I went into a new craft shop and bar just across from the plaza and sat and visited while waiting for the kids (who visited us from time to time).
And, of course, I had to buy a new pair of earrings at the Art Mart on the plaza. It is so wonderful to be here with no agenda other than just hanging out and visiting.
Tonight, we had lobster tail, asparagus, corn cakes, and salad for dinner. What a feast! And after dinner Coco and Justin performed magic card tricks and Coco told some of her hilarious jokes.
Now we are all turning in a little early. Tomorrow morning, we all get up and go to school with Ziggy and Coco. It is the last day of school until after Thanksgiving and they are having a traditional Puerto Rican lunch and the kids will be selling the products of their entrepreneurial businesses. Then tomorrow night we are going out for our traditional sushi dinner. Yummm!
I wish you could hear the chorus of Puerto Rico’s coquis as I sit here writing my log. These little frogs have the most delightful call. It sounds like they are saying coqui (co-KEY) over and over and it can be mesmerizing. However, I am not looking forward to the call of the rooster in the morning. At 6:50 am today, right outside my window, he bolted out the most blood curdling cock-a-doodle-doo I have ever heard. Not the calmest wake-up I have ever had.
by Judy Handley | Nov 16, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 320: Cape Cod to Boston to Puerto Rico
Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Weather: Rainy AM, Mostly Sunny in PR; High 85, Low 74 degrees F
Location: At Home with JJZ&C, Rincon, Puerto Rico
I said goodbye to Cape Cod early this morning and was off to Boston to catch my 11 am flight to San Juan. I sat next to a young woman, born and bred in Boston, but whose family was originally from Puerto Rico.
At first, we were both reading and napping, but when Estefania got up to stretch, we started talking. And the exchange of life stories didn’t end until we parted inside the airport in San Juan. She was flying to Puerto Rico as a 30th birthday gift to herself and will be headed to Culebra tomorrow. Happy Birthday, Estefania!
Heather flew home from London today, so I drove to the airport and left my car for her to drive home this afternoon. Justin picked me up in San Juan at 4:30 pm here (3:30 pm back home) and we battled the traffic leaving the city. We then stopped at a Costco to pick up a few things, but as we checked out, I wondered if we hadn’t bought one of each thing in the store. We didn’t get to Rincon until 9 pm. It took a bit to unpack all the food from the truck, and then we sat down to eat and to visit. Jo and the kids had eaten, but Jo warmed things up and we had a fantastic dinner of salmon, boiled-smashed-baked potatoes (delicious), and salad. Thank you, Jo.
It is wonderful to be here. I sure miss my Shadow, but I’m sure he is as happy as can be with the Goldstones. I am so looking forward to spending time with Ziggy and Coco, meeting some of their friends, and just hanging out with Justin and Jo. No touristy plans this trip. Just precious family time together.
by Judy Handley | Nov 15, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 319: Shadow with the Goldstones
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Weather: Sunny AM, Cloudy PM; High 45, Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Interesting day. I took my car to Hyannis early to have a flange in the exhaust system replaced. I was told by the garage that changed my oil last week that this was a problem. Well, that was not a problem. The problem was the exhaust smell in the car and the rumbling noise, both of which appeared immediately after the oil change. The young man this morning put the car up on a lift and then called me out to the garage. He showed me the flange was a bit rough but said it probably has two more years of service. But he pointed to oil dripping from the bottom of my car. I told him the garage that changed my oil last Tuesday didn’t mention an oil leak. And that statement caused a light bulb to go off for him. He lowered the car and opened the hood telling me that he thought they had forgotten to put the oil cap back on after changing the oil. Sure enough. The oil cap was laying in the engine area. He checked the oil, put the cap on, and sent me home. No more smell. No more rumbling noise. Problem solved.
When I got home, I somehow managed to spend the entire day doing nothing. I thought I was going to be driving to Boston to pick up Heather, but her return trip home has been delayed. I had a nice walk with Shadow, checked in for tomorrow’s flight, did a few last minute things to get ready to leave, and all of a sudden it is evening. I am delivering to Shadow to Jed and boys after dinner. Then I’ll come back to a very lonely home without my Shadow and read myself to sleep. I sure am going to miss my little guy. But my this time tomorrow, I’ll be with another one of my very favorite guys. Justin and I will be driving home to Rincon from the airport in San Juan. Jo and the kids are staying home and will have dinner ready for us when we arrive around 8 pm. Can’t wait!
by Judy Handley | Nov 15, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 318: Preparing for First Frost
Date: Monday, November 14, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny, Windy; High 45, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
“It feels like someone flipped a switch.” That is what friend Karen Baranowski said today and, indeed, it felt COLD. And tonight, we are supposed to get our first frost. I was reminded that the holiday season is approaching as Jane Woodin came over to gather holly and evergreens for her outside holiday arrangements. I invited her to stay for lunch and we had a great time just catching up. The forecast for the next ten days is for more cool days and cold nights. I guess the turn to cold weather has set us all scurrying about getting ready for the holiday season and the winter ahead. I replaced the shingle on the front of the cottage that the downy woodpecker. Was she building a winter nest? What do the birds that stay here do all winter? I really never thought about it before.
I am writing this early as I am heading to Heather and Jed’s around 7 pm to hang out with the boys while Jed is at Town Meeting. More scurrying about tomorrow to get ready for my flight to Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
by Judy Handley | Nov 13, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 317: Dreary Sunday
Date: Sunday, November 13, 2022
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High 55, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Overcast, gentle rains turning to downpours, periods of no rain, cool. Yes, it was a much more typical November day. Dreary, but sometimes a dreary, rainy day is good for the soul. I finished packing for Puerto Rico, picked some no rain times to walk with Shadow, turned the outside water off and removed the drip irrigation controller, installed a new carbon monoxide and dangerous gas monitor in the basement, replaced a carbon monoxide alarm in the upstairs of the cottage, replaced the screen with the storm window in the back door, but I didn’t get the hole in the front of the house repaired. That last one needs some explanation. Last week, Shadow and I kept hearing a loud pecking sound on the front of the house. When I heard the noise, I would go out and see a bird flying away. Then on Thursday, I was shocked to see that one of the cedar shingles on the front of the house was missing. And unfortunately, it was one of the shingles covering a two-inch diameter hole that Mass Saves drilled in order to fill the walls with insulation. They had covered the hole with white Styrofoam insulation so no critters could get in and then covered it with the shingle. I taped over the hole and thought it would be fine until I could deal with it. Then on Friday morning, I heard the tapping again and went out to see a very determined downy woodpecker flying away. The tape I had applied had blown off during the night, but I had to leave to go downtown for the Veterans Day ceremony, promising to come home and do something about this. When I got home, that little woodpecker had been very busy. She had drilled out the white Styrofoam and entered the hole and emptied as much of the blown in insulation as possible onto the ground. Unbelievable. I covered the hole with a cork coaster and fashioned a bird deterrent by cutting long strips in an Amazon bag and nailed it over the area. Saturday afternoon Jed gave me a sheet of shingle material, but I still need to cut it and put it in place. It was too rainy to deal with it today, so that is tomorrow’s job.
We dropped Ziggy and Coco off at 9 am and then headed to the beach to take a walk while waiting for the festival to begin at 10 am. We went to the beach near the school, Corcega Beach, a beach I had never been to before. It is a beach lined with homes, hotels, and condos that were built way too close to the water, and since Hurricane Maria in 2017, much of the beach has disappeared and structures are at the water’s edge.
It is a beach where sea turtles come to lay their eggs, and when one of the condos tried to rebuild a swimming pool on the beach, the people went to court to claim their rights to a public beach and won. Many of the condos are truly beach front as high tide comes close to the structures. But we had a delightful walk sighting birds and one turtle in a wet area beyond the beach.
All of the students were invited to sell the products they have been making as part of an entrepreneurial unit of study. Coco and her friend Maya were selling plants, cookies, and juice and were thrilled that they made over $50.
All of the entrepreneurs were girls as all of the boys declined to participate. So, Ziggy was just hanging out with his friends Caleb, Tommy, and Marlowe.
Justin took me for a tour of the property. There is one permanent structure that houses the pre-k and kindergarten students. You then walk by classrooms under tents for some grades, cross a practice field and come to some portable buildings that house the older students.
My favorite thing was an outdoor pencil sharpener attached to a utility pole!
Four and five-year-olds were paired as couples for the dance and they were unbelievably cute. Then girls in grades five through seven danced the Bomba. This was Coco’s chance to perform and perform she did.
The dancing was followed by a play out on by the younger students about the struggle the local people went through to claim their rights to public beaches. The backdrop was a cardboard condo, one of the ones Justin, Jo, and I had seen on our earlier walk. It was quite engaging and all of the older students watched intently.
After the play, we ate a traditional lunch of roasted pork, rice and beans, and pasta salad. Then school was out for the day, and for all of next week.
Coco taught me how to play the card game called Stress and I finally won one game. Then tonight we had homemade pizza for dinner and watched a movie.
