by Judy Handley | Apr 29, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 119: Skylark Concert and Travel Planning
Date: Friday, April 29, 2022
Weather: Sunny, Still Chilly with N Wind; High 54, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was another quiet day spent walking with Shadow, working on editing The Voyage of Windbird, and checking into flights for another trip. Justin called yesterday and asked if I would be interested in flying to Virginia in early June to spend time with Ziggy and Coco while he and Jo attend a workshop at The Monroe Institute, Justin’s new employer. We can all stay on the campus, and I will keep Ziggy and Coco company during the days when Justin and Jo are in workshop sessions. I jumped at the chance to go as I really didn’t get to spend any alone time with Z and C while in Puerto Rico. This opportunity is perfect.
Tonight, I attended a Skylark concert. Skylark is a vocal ensemble made up of vocal soloists, chamber musicians, and music educators from around the country. Listening to this group sing is truly like listening to voices from the heavens and tonight’s concert was especially interesting. “What might happen if Robert Langdon, acclaimed professor of Symbology at Harvard University (and fictional hero of Dan Brown’s best-selling novels, including The Da Vinci Code), were enlisted to explore hidden symbols, secret codes, and long-forgotten historical connections buried in manuscripts of choral music over the centuries?” This concert was created by Skylark’s conductor, creative genius, and three-time Grammy-nominee, Matthew Guard, along with composer Greg Brown, and his brother, author Dan Brown. It made for a fascinating evening of code-breaking music.
by Judy Handley | Apr 28, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 118: A Quiet Day
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny, Cold North Wind; High 51, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Finally, a quiet day mostly at home. I got up for the first time this morning at 6:45 am to take Shadow out and was greeted with a very chilly north wind and only a tad of sunshine. We went out and then came back in and went back to bed hoping for better weather in an hour or so. When I got up the second time, the weather was no better. The wind continued throughout the day, but since I spent most of the day inside, it was not a problem. It looks like we have two more days with north winds and nighttime lows in the 30’s before it warms up a little. Then the rain begins. Springtime on New England!
My neighbor Shirley came for a short visit today to see her beautiful Japanese peach tree that is in bloom.
She had an appointment with her primary care, so stopped by to see the tree. I’ve mentioned previously that she is currently living in Scituate with her 103-year-old sister, Doris. I know Shirley misses her home here, but she will stay with Doris to the end.
Shadow and I braved the wind and walked in the neighborhood today. Then mid-afternoon I took Shadow for a drive to Hyannis. I had planned to take Sam to rowing and run errands while he was on the water. But it was just too cold and windy for rowing, but I went anyway to run the errands. Tomorrow is another quiet day at home with an evening outing to go to another Skylark concert with friend, Kate Eldred. Her husband cannot go with her, so she invited me to be her ‘date’ once again. Lucky me!
by Judy Handley | Apr 27, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 117: Mah Jongg and Wine Group
Date: Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 57, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a busy one . . . walking with Shadow, Mah Jongg lesson, and wine group gathering. The wine group focus this month was Napa Valley wines.
Everyone did their homework and we learned tons about Napa Valley wines, enjoyed the wine tasting, and the paired foods.
by Judy Handley | Apr 26, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 116: Dinner at the White House
Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Tonight; High 53, Low 49 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Tonight, my dining-in group met at Terry and Olivia White’s home which we fondly refer to as the White House.
It is so delightful to meet in person once again. Throughout the pandemic, we managed to continue to meet (when the weather was not freezing) in Peter and Karen Baranowski’s fancy garage that we called the Taj Garage, masked and socially distanced with the garage doors open. That was great, but it is really nice to meet inside. 
Dinner tonight featured brisket with gravy, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, cooked carrots, and oven roasted Brussel’s sprouts. Then we had sponge cake with strawberries and ice cream for dessert. All delicious.
I missed the last two weeks of Mah Jongg lessons, so today friend and Mah Jongg teacher, Christina Brodie, had me come to her house for a private refresher. I remembered enough to win one of the three games we played, and now I feel much more prepared for tomorrow’s group lesson. I also meet with my wine group later tomorrow afternoon. Whew! Vacation mode is definitely fading.
by Judy Handley | Apr 25, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 115: Slowly Emerging from Vacation Mode
Date: Monday, April 25, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 54, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The vacation week in Puerto Rico was fabulous but getting back into normal life mode is turning out to be a slow process for me. After most travel trips, I am always happy to be home. But this time I feel myself being pulled back to the warmth and my son and his family in Puerto Rico. There was some sunshine here today, and it was not cold. But it was not warm, either. Not warm, not lush and green, not having my whole family around me, but this is home. Maybe tomorrow will feel more normal. Shadow seems to be happy to be home. I don’t know what magic Meghan and Sheri worked on him, but he is actually calmer and just wants to sit quietly on top of me every chance he gets.
I spent a good deal of today catching up with friends. Tomorrow my dining-in group meets, so there will be more catching up. Then on Wednesday, I have a Mah Jongg lesson. By Thursday, I think I’ll be back in the swing of things.
by Judy Handley | Apr 24, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 114: Back Home with Shadow
Date: Sunday, April 24, 2022
Weather: Overcast; High 51, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The high temperature for today was not in the 80’s and the low last night was not in the 70’s. Just a reminder that I am no longer in warm and wonderful Puerto Rico but back home with my Shadow. I picked him up this morning and he has been very loving all day long. I know he had a wonderful time with his ‘step-parents’ and their goats and chickens and black Lab, but he is a momma’s boy and seems happy to be back home. I miss Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco, but I am also happy to be back home with my little buddy.
I wrote last night’s log on the plane. I explained that the plane left San Juan 50 minutes late and that we were to arrive in Boston at 12:30 am, only 30 minutes later than our original ETA. We actually landed at 12:25 am, picked up our luggage, quickly caught the Airport Shuttle to the Long Term Parking Garage, and then had a bit of a surprise when the van would not start. The battery was completely dead. Jed went to talk to the parking attendant, and he said it happens all the time and that he would call someone to get us going. It was 1:30 am when we left the garage and 3:00 am when we arrived at Heather and Jed’s. By the time I got home, it was 3:15 am and I just couldn’t go to sleep. I read for a bit and finished the book I have been reading, Sea People, about how and when and from where the Polynesian people came to the South Pacific islands. Fascinating book.
I slept for six hours and then got up and went to pick up my Shadow. When we got home, I sat on the sofa and cuddled him for a bit and then tried to get into gear to go do laundry and pick up my clothes and ditty bag at Heather’s as they were packed in shared suitcases for the trip. I was certainly not moving at top speed today and now suddenly it is evening. Slowly, I will return to normal life speed, but for now I am content to move slowly and savor the lovely memories made last week in Puerto Rico.
In Friday’s log, I tried to describe the experience we had as a family in the bioluminescent bay, but today I read what Jo wrote on her Facebook page the next morning. I want to share what she wrote here as it so perfectly described that beautiful Earth Day evening. Her writing always exudes such deep emotion and beauty.
From Jo’s Facebook page:
I am so grateful to be part of this creation, to be here in this dimension, in this time, in this place.
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Yesterday we swam in bioluminescence like sea faeries.
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There was plenty of cloud cover (so no moonlight from the waning moon), and ideal ocean conditions. It was amazing. Magical. I have swum in bioluminescence before in a few different places, but I had not ever been to this bio bay in La Parguera before.
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To be in these waters with three generations of family, hearing everyone’s awe and wonder and feeling the mystical (re)connection to mother ocean, twisting and spinning in swirling circles of sparkles, it felt both amniotic and galactic.
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Oh Gaia!
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