by Judy Handley | Mar 24, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 83: Made It
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2022
Weather: Rain in the NE, Partly Sunny in Charlotte Area ; High 68, Low 43 degrees F
Location: Fairfield Inn, Mooresville, North Carolina
Today was a bit of an obstacle course, but I made it to Mooresville, North Carolina, just north of Charlotte and saw my sister for the first time in almost three years. Even with the obstacles, the trip was worth it.
The short story is that I traveled from Falmouth to Sagamore to Boston to Newark to Charlotte and finally to Mooresville, just north of Charlotte. The long story including the obstacles went something like this. When I took Shadow out at 7 am, it was raining so hard I had to put his raincoat on him. I had loaded the car last night as I knew it was going to be raining, and I was ever so glad that I did. I left East Falmouth and drove to Meghan and Sheri’s to drop off Shadow. From there I drove over the Sagamore Bridge to the Park ‘n Ride to catch the 10:05 Logan Airport Express bus. As I prepared to board, the driver told me the bus had broken down and everyone onboard was waiting for the next bus, not an express. But even with that obstacle, we all got to the airport on time. The first leg of my flight was from Boston to Newark. We boarded but were delayed 15 minutes and I panicked as I only had 40 minutes between flights in Newark. But somehow, we left 15 minutes late and arrived 10 minutes earlier than the original arrival time. When I got off the plane, I saw the boarding area for the next flight was right there. The boarding area was overflowing with people, but I checked the board and confirmed that I still had a few minutes, so I grabbed some sushi for lunch. Then I went back to the boarding area. No one was there. I started to panic again, but I checked my phone and saw the boarding area had just been changed. Then I got a text from Eversource telling me the electricity in my neighborhood was out due to a downed tree. I hoped the outage would not affect the timers I had set for the plants and the aquarium. I will ask Heather or Jed to check that over the weekend. But back to the Newark airport, we finally boarded 15 minutes late and then waited and waited. The pilot explained that the original plane “was broken”, his words, not mine, and changing to a different plane was taking time. I couldn’t believe I had confronted a broken-down bus and a “broken plane” in the same day. We finally took off and had a bumpy ride, especially as we descended into Charlotte, but I did make it. I got into my rental car and drove north to Mooresville to have dinner at my niece’s home with my sister. I then took my sister back to her assisted living facility and got my first ‘tour’ of her new home. She wanted to show me all around the building, but because it was late, I suggested we continue the tour tomorrow morning. So that we will.
by Judy Handley | Mar 23, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 82: Almost Ready for Take Off
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 45, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I loved traveling around the world in my own ‘home’. As Mark and I sailed around the world, we never had to pack a bag. We just got ourselves to shore, explored, and went ‘home’ for dinner. I don’t love packing for a trip and I don’t look forward to taking my dog and all his paraphernalia to the dog sitters, driving to a Park ‘n Ride to get on a bus that will take me an airport to get on a plane, getting off that plane in another city and getting on another one, negotiating the destination airport to get to the rental car agency, and then driving to a motel to check-in for the night before I get to see my sister. Unfortunately, in order to use the credit from a previously cancelled flight, I have to fly United, and they have no straight through flights from Boston to Charlotte. I know once I get there, all will be fine, but tomorrow just doesn’t sound like fun.
The good news is that I am packed, and Shadow’s things are packed. I finally got a timer to work that will turn the grow lights off and on each day for my garden seedlings. And I have ‘vacation feeder’ for the aquarium. Did I forget anything? If so, I’ll just have to do without!
by Judy Handley | Mar 22, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 81: Boston Field Trip with Newcomers Group
Date: Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Weather: Sunny, Windy; High 52, Low 30 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Great tour of the State House and the Museum of African American History in Boston today. The Falmouth Newcomer’s Teacher Group believes that field trips are not just for school children. 
We admired the beauty of the State House, stood under the flag of the Town of Falmouth in the Hall of Flags, and visited the House and Senate Chambers. Then we moved on to the Museum of African American History, had a great 30-minute talk about the history of the Abiel Smith School, which is now the museum, and the African American Meeting House.
We ended our tour with lunch at Ma Maison, a French restaurant on Cambridge Street.
And I was delighted when I got home and found that the daffodils outside my front door have opened fully.
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Now I am panicked. I leave on Thursday morning for a trip to North Carolina to visit my sister and I am NOT ready. Tomorrow is going to be one busy day.
by Judy Handley | Mar 21, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 80: Happy Birthday to Ollie (his actual birth date)
Date: Monday, March 21, 2022
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Windy PM; High 54, Low 35 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Ollie’s birthday celebration went on all weekend, but today was the actual day. When I went to pick up Ollie and Jonah to take them to music lessons this afternoon, they were out in the middle of the road with the remote-controlled truck which was my main present to Ollie. He loves it because it is all-terrain and fast. As I approached the driveway, I could hear him yelling, “Oma, it goes as fast as a real car!” He was one happy little boy. Happy Birthday, Ollie.
Tomorrow morning, I lead a small group on a field trip to Boston. We are visited the State House and the Museum of African American History and then having lunch at a French restaurant, Ma Maison. But a day trip to Boston means an early start. So, I need to wrap up this day and get to bed. Hopefully I’ll have a great report tomorrow night on the field trip.
by Judy Handley | Mar 20, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 79: First Day of Spring Brings More Birthday Fun
Date: Sunday, March 20, 2022
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 58, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The weather today was warm enough, but it was mostly cloudy and didn’t look so much like spring. But there are signs that spring is here. The daffodils just outside my front door look like they will burst open any minute.
The chives are two inches tall and the vinca forest cover is beginning to bloom.
I did some outside work today, but somehow everything seems to be taking way more time than it should. Slowly but surely, I will get there.
This evening we celebrated Marti’s birthday (Jed’s mother) which was today and Ollie’s a day early. 
We started with a few moments of silence on the back deck just to breathe in spring and toast the birthdays. Then we moved inside for dinner. Ollie requested duck breast and smashed potatoes with salad for dinner and all was delicious.
Then the birthday cakes were brought out. Heather and Ollie constructed a replica of a Ninja warriors warped wall. I had seen a warped wall before yesterday’s Ninja birthday party, but I didn’t know the name. It is just a curved ramp to run up, similar to a half-pipe. But it is high and very difficult to get to the top. Of course, the cake was small compared to the real thing, but it was probably 18 inches high, chocolate inside, with black chocolate icing. Heather, with Ollie’s help, did an amazing job.
Marti’s cake was from Whole Foods at my suggestion. Through my dining-in group, I have been introduced to the Whole Foods Berry Chantilly cake. With mascarpone icing and fresh berries on top as well as inside, it is both beautiful and delicious. Then from dessert, we moved to opening presents. 
It looked more like Christmas than a birthday, but then it was two birthdays. Ollie has shown a real interest in art this year, so many of his presents were arts supplies. But he was very impressed with the 100-year-old silver dollar from Marti.
Impressive. Happy Birthday to Ollie and Marti!
by Judy Handley | Mar 19, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 78: Ollie’s Ninja Warrior Birthday Party
Date: Saturday, March 19, 2022
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High 55, Low 45 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Monday is Ollie’s official birthday, but today was his birthday party with friends. Actually, it was Ollie and Simon’s ‘Ninja Warrior Birthday Party’. The two boys were born on the same day just eight hours apart in adjacent hospital rooms at the Falmouth Hospital. They both attended the Woods Hole Daycare Cooperative for preschool and always celebrated their birthdays together there. Then they went to different elementary schools and only saw each other at soccer games until Heather and Jed moved into the same neighborhood where Simon lives. Now the two boys go to the same elementary school, have the same set of friends, and celebrated their 10th birthdays together today.
The venue for the party was the Forte Fitness Center in Hyannis. The center has a Ninja warrior set up and the ten boys had a real Ninja workout trying to run up the warped wall,
swinging from one apparatus to another, scaling a climbing wall, and attempting to walk on a large cable drum as it rolled forward.
When it was time for pizza and birthday cupcakes, there were 10 boys with very red faces.
Simon and Ollie had great fun recreating a photo from their 5th birthday celebration at preschool, stuffing themselves with pizza, and blowing out their birthday candles.
The birthday fun continues tomorrow as it is Marti, Jed’s mother’s birthday. Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone but she is not going to be 10! And since Ollie has music lessons and Scouts on his real birthday on Monday, we will celebrate the two birthdays together tomorrow.
