by Judy Handley | Oct 30, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 303: First Snow of the Season
Date: Friday, October 30, 2020
Weather: Rain Turning to Snow Mid-Afternoon; High 47, Low 30 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Interesting day, weather wise. When I got online this morning to see what was happening in the world, I saw Facebook posts from friends in Concord, New Hampshire, showing that their world had been covered in snow overnight. And I thought to myself, “But not here on the Cape.” It is October. In the 15 years I lived in Concord, it never snowed there in October. Only one year did it snow during the Thanksgiving weekend. But snowing before Halloween. Not here on Cape Cod. But it did continue to rain. 
Then mid-afternoon when I went to pick Ollie up after school, I noticed that the raindrops on my windshield were a bit icy. It is only a 4 to 5 minute drive to where I pick up Ollie, but in those few minutes, those icy raindrops turned to snow. By the time Ollie was walking across the street with Mr. Tom to meet me, it was really snowing. As I waited for Ollie to walk across the street, I noticed that he and all the other kids were dressed in their Halloween costumes. Halloween costumes and now just don’t compute. The end-of the-day parade with parents attending had been cancelled due to Covid, but the principal allowed the kids to wear their costumes all day. Gorilla Ollie was in an exceptionally exuberant mood. He had a really great day. I brought Shadow with me today, despite the rain turning to snow, and it was amazing how much the two looked alike. Ollie’s gorilla costume has the exact same look as Shadow’s coat. 
So, when I delivered Ollie home, we went out on the deck to get photos of big gorilla and little gorilla. At first, Shadow tussled with Gorilla Ollie, then he just stared at him, and finally he walked away. I think he figured out it was Ollie and not another dog. Ollie felt a bit rejected, but I’m just glad he got to have a little Halloween fun today.
By the time Shadow and I got home, the snow had calmed down a bit. But we played in Shirley’s yard and Shadow had his usual fun running through the fallen leaves. Autumn leaves and snow are an unusual sight. I got a call from Shirley in Scituate, close to Boston, saying they had an inch of snow on the ground. We got no accumulation. We did have fun looking at those big snowflakes for an hour, but I was glad when they went away. I’m not ready for winter quite yet. But a check on the forecasted nighttime temp of 30 degrees F did have me scurrying to disconnect my outside hoses and turning off the outside water. I can reconnect tomorrow if I need to as below freezing temperatures are not in the forecast for the next week, and hopefully not for the next couple of weeks.
by Judy Handley | Oct 29, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 302: Lunch in the Taj Garage
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2020
Weather: Rain All Day; High 50, Low 44 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
This was Day 5 of overcast and rainy weather, but the rain got serious today. By mid-afternoon when I went to pick Ollie up from school, I was convinced that we had gotten enough rain just today to declare the summer drought over. Wrong. As Heather explained to me when I took Ollie home, we are slated to get as much as 2.5 inches of rain this week by the end of tomorrow. That’s a lot, but we need eight times that much to make up for the lack of rain this spring and summer. So, I must embrace these rainy days and be thankful we are getting them.
Despite the rain, my Newcomers Dining-in group, now a Lunch-in group, met in Karen and Peter Baranowski’s garage. Because it is such a neat and clean garage, we named it the Taj Garage. Since our first meeting there, Peter has added a propane heater, new lighting, a framed photo of sailboats in Quissett Harbor, and a mermaid. Next, I expect him to add a chandelier!
I have been meeting with this group since July of 2017. I already knew two of the couples, Bruce and Jane Wooden and Terry and Olivia White—but the Baranowski’s and the Frieswyk’s were new to me. We have all become close friends and value our monthly time together. We are all so thankful that Peter and Karen have provided a cozy and Covid-safe environment for our continued meetings. During Covid, we have moved from inside to outside, from dinner to lunch to try and capture heat of the day, and now from outside to inside a double car garage where we keep the garage door open. And now we all bring our own food with someone providing dessert for all. Today the dessert was brought by Bruce and Jane Woodin. It was a flourless chocolate cake, one of my favorites, and it was delicious. The heat of the propane heater was much appreciated and we all got a kick out of Peter, who is 6’8” tall, standing on the garage steps to capture the temperature at the ceiling level of the garage. We are going to try another lunch-in just before Thanksgiving. We will then figure out how we might do this when the weather gets even colder. I am suggesting we dig out our snow pants and jackets and continue meeting. But whatever, thank you, thank you, to Peter and Karen for providing the space.
by Judy Handley | Oct 28, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 301: Dreary Day Number 4
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Weather: Overcast and Rainy All Day; High 54, Low 44 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
I’m not one of those people who looks forward to dreary days so I can curl up in a warm spot and read the day the away. Not me. Four days of this is starting to wear on me and tomorrow and Friday don’t look to be any better. As a necessity and also a diversion, I spent a great deal of today cooking. I made my go-to soup and I attempted to make a Sicilian eggplant caponata. It’s basically a stewed vegetable dish, a little like French ratatouille without the zucchini. I had a big eggplant that I received from a Misfits order and needed to use it. Heather and Jed had made caponata last week and shared some with me. It was delicious, so I thought I would give it a try. Mine is not as good, so I need to find out the key to their success. 
I used tomatoes from my garden that I harvested in the rain on Tuesday and I still have half of that last harvest to use in another recipe. I also made one of my favorite fall recipes, acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, mushrooms, and cranberries. If it is going to continue to be dreary, I at least have plenty to eat!
On a dreary day, I do have great news to report. Jonah’s Covid test result came back in record time and it was negative. WooHoo! Now he can go to school tomorrow and Friday and we can return to our normal visiting routines. Heather called just now to let me know that. She also needed me to send photos I had taken of Ollie in his gorilla costume on Tuesday. She said she needed to send a photo to the school librarian who is putting together a video for the kids to watch on Friday instead of having the traditional Harvest Parade of costumed kids at the end of the school day. Ollie has talked about the parade all week, not aware that it was not happening because of Covid. Just this afternoon he was saying that he sure hopes this rain stops so they could have the parade on Friday. He went on to say that if the rain persists, it would be the first time ever that the Harvest Parade would be called off because of the weather. Well, it has been called off, not because of the rain but because of Covid. When Heather broke the news to him tonight, he took it in stride saying this was historic. I love eight-year-olds. And the Goldstones also had to make another ‘historic’ decision tonight about whether or not they are going to go Trick or Treating on Saturday night. The whole family loves a local band called Crooked Coast. There was to be a Crooked Coast concert at the Falmouth Drive-in Theater on Friday night that they were planning to attend. But because of the weather, that has been delayed until Saturday night—Trick or Treat night. It was a tough decision, but they are going to the concert. We will think of some alternative way to make sure they get some Halloween candy. In these coronavirus days, going to a drive-in concert is lot safer than Trick or Treating, even in your own neighborhood. So probably a wise decision.
by Judy Handley | Oct 27, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 300: Day of Reflection
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Weather: Overcast, Clearing in the Afternoon; High 58, Low 44 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Forty-six years ago today Mark and I were married on Lovers Key at the southern end of Fort Myers Beach just across Big Carlos Pass. So for me, today began as a day of reflection. Then this evening I got a text from Jo telling me that they had to have their dog, Alfie, put down. We all knew that time was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Justin and Jo were married in April of 2007. In December of that year, Mark and I flew home from Australia for my sister’s 50th wedding anniversary and for the birth of our first grandchild, Sam. In late April we went to visit Justin and Jo in New Mexico before flying back to Australia to continue our trek around the world. Justin and Jo had just celebrated their first year of marriage.
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They lived in the dusty little New Mexico town called Cerrillos and they had two dogs, Alfie and Lulu. They had only had Alfie a few months, but by the time we met him, he was already very big. He was a big puppy with abundant energy and a very loving personality. While we were visiting, Justin showed off his training techniques. Sure wish I was as successful as he was at dog training! To this day, when I think of Alfie, I always start singing the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song from the 1966 movie by the same name. I’m copying the words here as food for thought in honor of Alfie.
What’s it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What’s it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give
Or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are kind, Alfie
Then I guess it is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie
What will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there’s a heaven above, Alfie
I know there’s something much more,
Something even non-believers can believe in
I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love we just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you’ve missed you’re nothing, Alfie
When you walk let your heart lead the way
And you’ll find love any day, Alfie . . .
Alfie.
by Judy Handley | Oct 26, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 299: Covid Confusion
Date: Monday, October 26, 2020
Weather: Overcast with Misty Rain; High 57, Low 54 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
When I picked Ollie up from school to take him home today, he told me Jonah didn’t go to school today. If you read last night’s log, you know Jonah had what is classified as a minor Covid exposure last Wednesday. No matter what kind of exposure you have, the recommendation is to wait five days to be tested. Otherwise, you will probably get a negative result, but you could still get the virus. The Vice-President had a major exposure on Saturday, but he was tested immediately and deemed negative. And until there was tremendous pressure, he was planning to go to the Senate tonight. How come the same rules don’t apply to all? It is so confusing. But Heather and Jed decided to keep Jonah home today to err on the safe side for other kids. They called the pediatrician to set up a Covid test since this was day five, but they were told “scheduling”, whoever that is, would call them to make an appointment. When I got home with Ollie they still had not been contacted. This is just not acceptable. If we are going to have children in school, we need to have a routine testing protocol set up for them if they are exposed. Even if Jonah gets tested tomorrow, he won’t get the results until at least Thursday. So he is going to miss an entire week of school. And when you only have school in person every other week, that is a big deal for an 11-year-old who desperately wants to be with his friends. It would be acceptable if we were all following the same guidelines, but we are not. Ugh.
I am not sure what the neighborhood in which Heather and Jed now live is planning to do for Halloween, but the Goldpebbles are planning their costumes whether or not they are going to go Trick or Treating. From a distance yesterday afternoon, Jonah showed me that he is going to be a deep sea diver. Heather has an old dive vest that Jonah will wear over his wet suit. Sam is too old to Trick or Treat, but he and his friend Robert are planning some scary surprises.
By the time Ollie declared he wanted to be a gorilla, it was too late to order a costume. But last night I found one at a Target off-Cape and Shadow and I went to pick it up today. I thought it was going to be too big, but it actually worked. Jonah and Ollie carved pumpkins this weekend and they are sitting on the front steps. So, some Halloween fun is happening at the Goldstones despite the Covid scare.
by Judy Handley | Oct 25, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 298: I Will Vote
Date: Sunday, October 25, 2020
Weather: Mostly Cloudy and Cool; High 54, Low 45 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
This morning I got a text from Cher inviting me to tune into a two-hour music program tonight to support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I deleted the text thinking I was not going to spend two hours watching a music program. Then I talked to Justin this afternoon and he asked me if I was going to watch that program tonight, I WILL VOTE. That gave me second thoughts, so I did sign up to watch. And I am very glad that I did. As my niece Lynn always said about me, “Judy, you have less pop culture knowledge than anyone I know.” And she was right. I had never heard of most the music artists featured in tonight’s program, but it was a feel good two hours supporting the Biden campaign and I really enjoyed being introduced to so many young artists. There were also a few oldies that I recognized, but all were trying to get the point across that every single eligible American needs to vote in this election. George Lopez and Ana Navarro hosted the event, and I am ashamed to admit that I had never heard of either of them. I did recognize John Legend and loved his rendition of “We Shall Overcome.” There were young artists like Ciarro and P!nk that I had never heard of but I enjoyed being introduced to them. There was a young singer songwriter from Texas who now lives in Nashville, Maren Morris, who gave a very persuasive talk about the importance of voting for Biden in this election. There were young artists like Darren Criss singing oldies like the Beetles’ “Here Comes the Sun.” And then there were oldies like Cher singing a new song written just for this campaign . . . “Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe.” There was a song called “Where is the Love?” that used the words and video from a Joe Biden speech which was quite effective. This was all done in a Zoom-type format with appearances by Joe and Jill Biden, Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff. I think a young artist who quoted Cornell West summed it up best when he said to never forget that . . . “Justice is what love looks like in public.” I think it is obvious which candidate he was referencing.
Last night my sister was finally reconnected to her life-long friend Helen. A number of us have been working to make this happen, but a Facebook message that I sent to the church that we knew Helen was a member of resulted in an instant connection. One of Helen’s granddaughters saw my message and got back to me via Facebook. We aarranged for the phone call to get the two reunited. They talked on the phone last night and that was a happy event. On the other side of the coin, we learned a not so happy bit of news late yesterday. Actually, I didn’t hear this news until early this afternoon. Heather got an email late yesterday saying that the assistant coach of Jonah’s soccer team has Covid. Jonah was last exposed to him last Wednesday evening at a practice. Everyone wears masks at practice and they use the six-foot social distancing rule, so this is technically classified as a minimal exposure. Still it brings up all kinds of questions. This is a week that Jonah goes to school. Should he go knowing he has been exposed? Heather contacted the school system and their only reply was this was a minimal exposure and would not keep him from coming to school. You need to wait at least five days after an exposure to be tested, so Jonah will get tested tomorrow evening. But he won’t get the results until at least Wednesday. It would be so helpful if there was a test with immediate results available. In the meantime, I am keeping a distance. I will still pick up Ollie after school, but we will keep our masks on in the car and keep the windows open. Hopefully by mid-week we will have negative test results for Jonah, but we will still need to take extra precautions for another week . . . life in the days in Covid.
