by Judy Handley | Dec 11, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 345: Quarantine Life
Date: Friday, December 11, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny and Warmer: High 52, Low 43 Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
We have made it through the first four days of our quarantine life. Sam and Jed seem to be enjoying their time together, but they miss being together with Heather, Jonah, and Ollie. And visa-versa. We are having a good time at my house, but, of course, Heather, Jonah, and Ollie would rather be at home. The good news is that Sam is not developing any symptoms. Tomorrow will be five full days since his primary Covid exposure and he will get a test. But even if the test is negative, he cannot return to school as the school system requires a test on day 8. But the family might feel comfortable enough to reunite. We’ll just wait and see how things go.
After school today Ollie did some leaf clean-up work in a neighbor’s yard to make a little money. He was working in Andrew’s yard, the new neighbor that will be moving here in the spring. I was outside with him, playing with Shadow and we got to watch a beautiful red sunset. I sent a text to Heather and Jonah and they came down to the water to see the sunset as well. These are the happy times of being together.
As a reward for making it through this week, Heather and I told the boys we could watch a Christmas movie tonight. They chose Home Alone 1 which neither Heather nor I were enthusiastic about, but we actually really enjoyed it. As we have each evening this week, we connected with Jed and Sam via Zoom during dinner and we stayed connected all evening. Jed and Sam watched the same movie at their house and we could talk to each other during the movie. This is quarantine life!
by Judy Handley | Dec 10, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 344: First Night of Hanukkah
Date: Thursday, December 10, 2020
Weather: Sunny, Melting Snow: High 45, Low 32 Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
The sun was shining today in a clear blue sky, the snow was melting, and I was out and about all day. I volunteered to take Jonah to school for an 8:15 am start, came home to get Ollie and take him to school for a 9 am start, and then drove to Mashpee to meet friend Midge Frieswyk. We have been wanting to get together but weren’t sure how to do this safely. I suggested we meet at the Cape Cod Coffee Shop in Mashpee Commons that still has outdoor seating. They have seating on the sidewalk where there is no shade, so I suggested we meet there. I thought we might freeze to death, but it was actually quite comfortable. The morning temperature was still in the 30’s, but by bundling up and sitting in the sun while sipping on warm tea and coffee, we were fine. Then I was off to the grocery store and then to the post office in East Falmouth to get some. advice on sending the last of the Christmas packages. Bill, the postman who mans the window there, is always so helpful no matter how busy. Until the changes made this summer by the new Postmaster General, there were always two windows open, but now it is just one which makes for long waiting lines. But Bill just keeps steady and takes time with each customer to make sure he meets their needs. He was one of my heroes during the time after Hurricane Maria when I was sending so many things to Puerto Rico. I hate to see him working so hard, but I sure am glad he is there. It was well after noon when I left the Post Office, so I headed home to get some lunch, get the packages ready as Bill instructed, and then back out again to Shadow to play with Sam for a bit after school. Sam said he needed a therapy dog today, so Shadow volunteered. While Sam and Shadow played, I went to the nearest post office to mail the packages and then went back to pick up Jonah and Shadow. Jonah walked home after school and waited for me in the driveway. He and Sam kept a healthy distance from one another and kept their masks on, but they at least got to say hello. Jonah, Shadow, and I then picked Ollie up after school and I finally got home for the day around 3:30 pm.
We spent the late afternoon getting ready to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. Since sundown was at 4:10, we waited until we were ready to eat dinner to light the first candle. The we feasted on the best latkes I have ever eaten. I prepared the potatoes and Heather did the frying. She used avocado oil and the resulting latkes were crisp and delicious. We were on Zoom with Sam and Jed who were also having latkes. All of us opened Hanukkah bags of goodies sent to us from Grammy Marti and then we ended the evening playing a card game called Marshmallow Test. Jonah and Ollie were quite entertaining, and we all spent much of the game time laughing uncontrollably. As Jonah would say, that was quite satisfying.
by Judy Handley | Dec 9, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 343: Trip to See the Aunties
Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Weather: Cold Day, Skiff of Snow Tonight: High 36, Low 31 Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Today was a traveling day. Shirley and Doris are sisters and they are aunts of Karen Baranowski. I rent the cottage from Shirley, so today Peter, Karen, and I drove north to Scituate to visit with the aunties. Shirley is 95 and Doris is 102 and they live in Doris’ home in Scituate part of the year and in Shirley’s home across the driveway from me the other half of the year. I had a Christmas greenery decoration to take to them, and Karen and I decided to take food for a nice holiday luncheon together. Covid-wise, it was probably not the safest thing to do, but we wore masks and stayed far apart. Thankfully Doris’ dining table is huge, so even at the table we were far apart. We had a wonderful visit and a delicious lunch. Karen cooked a pork tenderloin with potatoes, and I added applesauce, Brussels sprout slaw, and an apple pie made with the apple pie filling I canned recently. This was a first taste test of the filling and it passed with flying colors. The pie was really delicious. And it looked good, too. This morning when I was preparing the pie, I asked if anyone knew how to make a lattice pie topping. Ollie said he knew and I asked why it was only the youngest person at breakfast this morning who knew how to do this. He explained that Jed had taught him how to do this at Thanksgiving. He explained the process to Jonah and together they made the lattice pie topper. Ollie added an egg wash and it really turned out beautifully.
Our new temporary living situation went smoothly, I think, for day one. We are all learning new routines here at the cottage and Sam and Jed seem to be doing fine as well. The important thing is that everyone is still healthy. Let’s hope we can all stay that way.
by Judy Handley | Dec 9, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 342: First Snow on Jed’s Birthday
Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Weather: Snow: High 33, Low 25 Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
What a surprise Shadow and I got this morning when we walked into the living room and looked out the window. It snowed last night! And it was still snowing. So we headed outside and played for over an hour. Shadow loved the little bit of snow we got last winter and he still loves it. He romped, shoveled snow with his nose, and ate snow. He was a happy puppy. When we came in and I checked my phone, I saw that Heather and Jed had made a decision on how to quarantine. Since Sam’s Covid exposure was yesterday, we safely had until the end of the day today to get things arranged as it takes longer than 24 hours for someone to become contagious. Jonah and Ollie are going to continue going to school for now and are staying at my house. Heather is staying here with them. Jed is staying at home with Sam and after school today was our last time all together. We were super cautious and wore masks. Today was an early release day, so I picked up Ollie at 12:30 and we then went to Grasmere to pick up Jonah. Heather came along at the end of the workday.
But as Ollie, Jonah, and I were getting in the car, Sam came out to wave goodbye to us. He looked so lonely standing in the snow. Hopefully this is only for 11 days, but I know he will miss his brothers and they will miss him.
Jonah and Ollie played outside in the snow with Shadow when we got home and a little later we made our first Christmas cookies. 
Heather arrived while we were doing that and she got her things put in the bedroom she and Jonah will share. Actually, tonight all three of them are sleeping in that room. After she got settled, I headed into town to pick up sushi for Jed’s birthday dinner. Heather made two orders, one for Sam and Jed, and one for the rest of us. I delivered Sam and Jed’s sushi, picked up Ollie’s violin and Jonah’s trombone, wished Jed a happy birthday, and rushed home for our 6 pm Zoom dinner. Jed’s mother, Marti, joined us from her home in Washington, DC, and Jed’s brother Tobey joined us from Portland where he was driving in rush hour traffic. It was fun, but not the birthday I know Jed would have preferred. I suspect we will meet on Zoom for dinner on most evenings during this quarantine. Happy Birthday to Jed. Jonah made a card for him that said simply “7 x 7”. The boys told him this was his ‘not quite old’ birthday. Next year is the big one.
by Judy Handley | Dec 7, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 341: Life in the Time of Covid
Date: Monday, December 7, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny and Cold: High 35, Low 29 Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Just last night I was with the Goldstones ushering in the holiday season. We were all so healthy and so happy to be together. Tonight, we are all still healthy, but there has been a ‘breach in the wall’ and everything has changed. Just like that. Sam’s principal called tonight to tell them that Sam and everyone in his class had a primary exposure today to someone who has tested positive for Covid. That means that any of the students exposed, plus their siblings and parents, must be in quarantine for the next 8 days when the students exposed can be tested (the schools require 8 days, not 5, after exposure before testing) and then the additional 2-3 days until the test results are returned. Or without testing, they all have to be quarantined for 14 days. So, what to do? Do all of the Goldstones stay together and all quarantine together and all take the risk of getting Covid? Or do they split up between my house and their house so that Jonah and Ollie can continue to go to school? In that case, one parent and Sam would stay at one house and one parent, Jonah. Ollie, Shadow, and I would stay at the other house. That is probably the safest option for all, but making the decision so quickly is so hard. Heather and Jed will decide tonight and we’ll take it from there in the morning. One way or another, if Sam does not get Covid, we can all be back together by Monday the 21st for solstice and then Christmas. In that case, we will definitely have a special celebration this year! Other things happened today, but whatever those things were pale in comparison to a Covid exposure that instantly changes the lives of so many. But there was one bright spot. I learned today that my friends Linda and Mike Stuart became first time grandparents. Welcome to Grant William Stuart. He arrived a little early and I will talk to Linda on Wednesday night to learn the details.
by Judy Handley | Dec 6, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 340: Ushering in the Holiday Season
Date: Sunday, December 6, 2020
Weather: Sunny and Cold: High 39, Low 28 Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Today the Goldstones and I ushered in the holiday season. This weekend would normally be the official Falmouth By the Sea weekend when Santa arrives in the harbor, the lights on the Green are officially lit, and the annual Falmouth Christmas Parade marches down Main Street. This year none of those things could happen because of Covid but scaled down versions of those things were video-taped and shown on community television today at noon.
Heather was volunteering this morning at the Christmas tree sale to raise money for the school PTO and other non-profits. When I arrived to get my tree, I saw an elf working in the lot. On closer examination, I saw that the elf was my daughter. The elf helped me pick out a tree and then Jed and boys arrived to get their tree. Sam and Jonah had to go to do a service project, so Ollie stayed with Heather. When I went back to pick him up, he had convinced Heather to buy a second tree. He wanted a tree for the basement, but it ended up in the all purpose room. Ollie put the tree in my car and we headed to my house where he helped me get my tree up. At noon we had an impromptu gathering of the whole crew at my house where we watched the parade and had lunch. Then tonight we had dinner at Heather and Jed’s and I got see the their two trees up and decorated. Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco put their tree up last weekend. Mine is up but not yet decorated. Once it is, I’ll post photos of all.
Jed’s birthday is on Tuesday and at dinner tonight he received an early birthday present from Heather and the boys—a big gnome that they hope will be the first installment in a collection of gnomes in future years. Jed and his gnome were at end of the table and a stuffed Santa that I bought for Heather and Justin in 1985 sat at the other end. Hard to believe that Santa has survived 35 years, but then a Santa is forever.
