by Judy Handley | Oct 26, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 299: Dreary Day
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Weather: Rainy Morning, Clearing Mid-Afternoon; High 68, Low 56 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
This morning when I took Shadow to the Vet for his annual check-up, it was rainy and dreary. But at least it was warm. I had on my rain jacket and had to take it off because I was too hot. I ran some errands in town before heading home, and when I did get home, I made some calls about a health issue my sister is having, helped finalize plans for a Newcomers field trip, and had a Zoom call with my primary care. He is going to order an MRI for my back, but in the meantime, wants to take a round of Prednisone. After lunch, I went to play Mah Jong and as I left to head home, I had thoughts about not playing again. I’m not very good at it and just don’t enjoy playing. I know it is good for my brain, but I have never been a game player. I’ll give this some more thought, but I think it is just not for me. In the middle of the Mah Jong afternoon, I had to sit out a game to talk to the companion who works with my sister. Dealing with Patsy’s health issues is becoming a full-time job.
The fun started when I got home. The rain had stopped, so Shadow and I took a walk and played fetch down by the dock. That I enjoy. Tomorrow is supposed to be warm and sunny. I need to clean house, but I know I am going to want to be outside. I’m going to try to get up early and get in a couple of hours of cleaning and then spend the rest of the day outside. The temperature drops on Friday, so tomorrow is the time to be outside.
by Judy Handley | Oct 25, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 298: Peaceful Day of Little Consequence
Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Weather: Foggy Morning, Then Overcast; High 69, Low 61 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Foggy morning–so peaceful. Went to the chiropractor – walked with my friend Olga Mitchel and Shadow – enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather – spent time working on an upcoming Newcomers field trip – visited with Karen Baranowski – played fetch with Shadow down by the dock while enjoying views of the changing colors of the marsh grass
– went to CVS to get my flu shot – went to Heather and Jed’s to do laundry – took Ollie to soccer practice – brought Ollie home and finished the laundry. Those were my ‘moments’ today.
by Judy Handley | Oct 24, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 297: Down the Rabbit Hole
Date: Monday, October 24, 2022
Weather: Overcast, Mist Tonight; High 65, Low 59 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today I got sucked down a rabbit hole. I was checking my email when I saw an update from Ancestry. I usually ignore those emails, but this one said there was an update to my DNA information. I know better than to get into Ancestry as I love digging and digging into the past and always lose track of time. But they hooked me today when they listed the top four surnames that come up in my DNA pool on my father’s side of the family. His surname was Martin. He was born out of wedlock in 1903 but adopted when he was three by his supposed real father when he married my father’s mother. Now, fast forward to the mid-1940’s. Sometime before I was born, a man with the last name of Atkins or Adkins tracked my father down to tell him that he was his real father. As the story goes, my dad would not talk to him, but my mother listened to his story. My dad never talked about this again, but my mother told my brothers and sisters what they man said. When I was in fourth grade my mother told me about this, but I refused to believe her. My father looked just like his father, so I have been sure all of these years that Fred Martin was my father’s real father. Until today. The top two surnames on the DNA matches listed were Atkins and Adkins. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. You can only imagine how this took my breath away and led me down that Ancestry rabbit hole. It will take hours, even days more, to keep digging into this. But dig, I will, to see how I am related to the people with that last name.
I made up for some of those lost hours down the rabbit hole tonight. I went to pick Jonah up for soccer practice in Harwich tonight at 6:20 pm. As I walked in the front door, wizard Jed and gorilla Ollie were headed out for a Cub Scout Halloween party. They were in a hurry so I didn’t get a photo, but I did take a photo of the little decorated pumpkins on display outside the front door, plus Ollie’s big, carved spider pumpkin.
Then Jonah and I left, but before we drove out of the neighborhood, he saw a new message pop up on the soccer app. Soccer practice had been cancelled because the park where they practice had not turned on the lights. It was raining lightly, nothing serious, but I guess they decided it was too wet for practice. I turned around and dropped Jonah off. I then came home and added two and half hours to my evening at home.
Something else I found when checking my phone this morning was a Facebook post by my daughter-in-law Jo. She re-posted something she had read, and I want to share it with you. It went like this:
“While reading with my girls, my 7 year old quietly says, ‘Mama? We’re having a tiny moment right now.
‘Hmm. How so? I ask.’
‘Today my teacher said life is all tiny moments. You can write stories about tiny moments. Tomorrow I am going to write about us, together, right now.’”
I love the concept of a person’s life story being a made up of all those tiny moments.
by Judy Handley | Oct 23, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 296: Soccer Sunday
Date: Sunday, October 23, 2022
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 60, Low 57 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The serious rain didn’t start until near the end of the Ollie’s afternoon soccer game, but the whole day was overcast with misty rain from time to time. Jonah’s game was early this morning in Harwich with only a few dibble dops of rain. Jonah’s jersey number is 35. I kept trying to get a photo of him, but all I ever got was his backside sporting the number 35.
Ollie’s game was back in Falmouth this afternoon. It was misting from the beginning of the game, but closer to the end it started to seriously rain. Early in the game, Ollie made the first goal, but then the Falmouth goalie hurt his hand, and Ollie had to sub as goalie for the remainder of the game.
After the game, Heather left for Martha’s Vineyard. She will be back tomorrow evening, but not in time to take Jonah to soccer practice. Monday night is Cub Scout night and Jed has to be there. Sam volunteered to miss rowing practice, so instead of taking him, I will take Jonah.
I found out today that the month of November is going to be a busy one. Heather flies to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on November 4 to the attend COP27, the UN Climate Change conference. She returns on November 15, and I fly to Puerto Rico the next day, returning the day after Thanksgiving. Thankfully, rowing practice ends before either of us leaves town. Instead of the three of us carting kids to practices, for most of November, there will only be two of us. It will be a busy time.
by Judy Handley | Oct 22, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 295: A Lot of Reading
Date: Saturday, October 22, 2022
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 64, Low 45 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth,
I spent much of today reading. It was another beautiful day, so I also spent time outside walking and playing fetch with Shadow. Later in the afternoon, I took Sam to a party hosted by his rowing coach. Jed and Ollie are on a Scouting camp out this weekend and Heather and Jonah were on an all-day geology field trip for a Scout merit badge. Sam’s party was in Hyannis, so I did a bit of shopping at Whole Foods. That was my day. Unfortunately, it looks like we have a couple of rainy days starting tomorrow. I will miss the glorious sunshine.
by Judy Handley | Oct 21, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 294: Ten Years Ago Today
Date: Friday, October 21, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny, Warmer; High 63, Low 47 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth,
This morning when I checked my phone, the first thing that popped up was a photo from ten years ago today, October 21, 2012. The photo was from an album labeled, “Grandparent Heaven.” It was the day that all five grandchildren were together for the very first time. Ollie was born in March of 2012 and Coco the end of July. We had not gone to New Mexico for Coco’s birth since Mark was in the midst of chemotherapy. So, Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco came to see us. That first day together was wonderful.
08 Ziggy in Heaven Holding His Cousin’s Hand
22 Oliver and Coco Late in the Day
00 The Music Makers
After school today, we had a burial ceremony for Ollie’s guinea pig, Zuzu. The burial plot is right beside the trampoline and when we turned to leave Heather realized that the brand name of the trampoline was most fitting for the occasion. It is a Zupapa. And Ollie was definitely Zuzu’s papa. So, the boys hoped on the trampoline in celebration of Zuzu’s life.
Then before Sam and I took off for Harwich for rowing practice, Ollie showed off his little John Deere tractor that has a new engine.
It was a beautiful day and once Shadow and I delivered Sam to Long Pond, we took a nice walk to enjoy the warm weather.
