by Judy Handley | Sep 30, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 273: Happy 45th Birthday to Heather
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Weather: Rain Early, Then Mostly Cloudy & Windy; High 72, Low 59 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
After 31 hours of hard labor, Heather Martin Handley was born late on the last night of September in 1975. She was born in an apartment in Alexandria, Virginia. Yes, she was born at home with a doctor and a mid-wife in attendance. As I look back, I can only ask, “Can that really have been 45 years ago?” I chuckled this evening when I heard Heather telling Ollie that 45 is an important birthday because it means you are halfway to 90. Go, Heather! She was always a very serious child and by the time she was into her second summer, Mark and I looked at each other day and said, “This child is more mature than either of us.” It was scary and we had to get our act together. Whether she was helping with the garden, training one of our sled dogs, or trying to read one of her dad’s books, she did it with extreme care and seriousness. At tonight’s birthday dinner, I was glad that finally, when she is halfway to 90, she has shed some of that seriousness. She made sure we had one serious photo and one crazy family photo to mark this momentous event. Happy Birthday, Heather.
by Judy Handley | Sep 29, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 272: Love Affair with Cape Cod
Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Weather: Cloudy with Some Sunny Periods; High 74, Low 68 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Note: This log was written prior to tonight’s debate. I’ll address that debacle tomorrow night.
Today was a day of wonder and awe for me. I know I live in a beautiful corner of this earth, but today I fell in love with it all over again.
I picked Ollie up after his half day of school and loved hearing him say he thinks he has the best teacher in all the world. What a wonderful thing to hear. Then I headed to Woods Hole for a tour with the Newcomers Teacher Group. The tour was arranged by friend Jane Woodin. Thank you, Jane. It was a small group and all of us wore masks and tried to keep a good distance between ourselves. The tour guide was a Woods Hole native and as he talked about the history of the tiny little village, you could hear the love of the place in his voice. I’d seen everything we were looking at many, many times, but somehow the quiet passion of the tour guide gave me a different perspective. We learned a few things about the history of the village that I didn’t know and reviewed things I did know about the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), the Marine Biological Lab (MBL), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), all within a 5 minute walk from one to the other. Wow! That’s a lot of science in one little village. Near the end of the tour we walked through the community gardens, past the majestic copper beech trees, and back to the Woods Hole Historical Museum. There is a little stone marker there noting that Woods Hole resident Michael Walsh made the Cape Cod Rambler Rose world famous. Walsh was a Welsh man of Irish descent who came to Woods Hole in 1875 to work as a gardener for a local summer resident. In the 1890’s he began developing the rambler rose and today the beauty of this rose is an icon of the Cape and Islands.
On the way home, I took the beach road that goes past Nobska Lighthouse, one of my favorite views in the world. And when I got home, I sat down by the dock and soaked in the beauty of the marsh while playing ball with Shadow. At that point, I truly felt like I had spent my afternoon literally inhaling beauty. So lucky to live here. But it is not just the scenery. On a night when I plan to watch the presidential debate, it is comforting to know that I am surrounded by beautiful people here on the Cape. One of those people is Jerry Lanson, a fellow Newcomer and the person who led the Memoir Writing class that I participated in last winter. Due to Jerry’s support, I made progress toward writing the story of the Voyage of Windbird. Hopefully that will become a book at some point in the future, but not without the encouragement of people like Jerry. I contacted him today to sign up for a new Newcomers Zoom group, Public Policy in Turbulent Times. In doing so, Jerry sent me a link to a piece he wrote that was in yesterday’s Cape Cod Times. People like Jerry are the other reason I love living here . . . beautiful scenery and beautiful people. Here’s Jerry’s opinion piece.
OPINION/MY VIEW: Why political signs matter
By Jerry Lanson
Posted Sep 28, 2020
“I like your sign,” a neighbor shouted out, walking past with her dog. Another neighbor, passing Kathy in front of our house one morning recently, told her the same.
We bought a smallish 18? by 24? Biden/Harris sign on Amazon last week and planted it in the front yard by the driveway. I’m realizing it’s serving a more important purpose than just to make us feel good.
Even here in East Falmouth, in ostensibly liberal Massachusetts, there are plenty of Trump supporters and plenty of people who are upset about the protests that have swept the country. Neighbors on one side of us and neighbors a few houses up across the street have planted “Support the Police” signs in their front lawns.
I actually share that sentiment, though I’d supplement it with signs reading “Retrain the Police” and “Improve the Police” and “Diversify the Police.” What’s offensive to me about these signs is the blue stripe they boast, a not-so-subtle reminder of the “Blue Lives Matter” movement, a suggestion that the lives of cops matter more than the lives of citizens of color whom they are empowered to protect.
What I’ve come to realize, as a retired journalism professor and before that a working journalist, is that this is not an election for me to play it safe, to sit on the sidelines, to quietly stand by my beliefs and let others do the work, give the donations and do the talking. I now can speak my mind freely.
What’s more, I fully and firmly believe that American democracy is on the line this November, that our institutions and Constitution are under attack. Global survival, too, may be on the ballot. I look at our western apocalypse of flames, the hurricanes lashing the South, the crumbling ice of Antarctica. I see our eroding beaches right here on the Cape, and I know it’s not a time for silence but a time for action.
Signs, of course, are anything but new to political seasons. And the signs up and down my street convey a range of political views, as is always the case. Still, posting signs this election cycle seems more important to me than ever. I want to do my part to affirm for those who share my views that they are in plentiful company. I want to tell those with whom I disagree that while I respect them personally, their views don’t dominate my block. And I want to encourage others to join the messy debate that is democracy. To speak out, plant signs, make phone calls and work in whatever way possible to bring about change.
Next week we’ll be getting another sign from Amazon. It reads “Hate Has No Home Here.” Beneath it, from left to right, are an American flag, a heart with the words “Black Lives Matter,” and a rainbow heart.
If some believe America is not big enough to welcome everyone, in my view that is their problem, not mine. Those who share my views should not just stand quietly by their beliefs in the turmoil that is the United States today, but give those beliefs voice, clearly, firmly, openly and, ultimately, at the voting booth.
Jerry Lanson is a retired journalism professor and a resident of East Falmouth.
by Judy Handley | Sep 28, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 271: Taking Care of Business
Date: Monday, September 28, 2020
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 72, Low 65 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
All summer long when I am in Camp Oma gear, I essentially ignore everything else. And since summer activities continued until school started last week, I am just now starting to think about all the things that need to be done. I haven’t made a list, so that will be my next job, but there were a few things that had top priority, so I started there today. My car inspection needed to be done in September, so I took care of that today, plus making appointments for a few other things. And I did a lot of ‘thinking’ about other jobs that need to be done. Actually, I don’t know where the day went, but so go my days.
by Judy Handley | Sep 27, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 270: Flooring, Biking, and Exploring
Date: Sunday, September 27, 2020
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 76, Low 66 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
It was another lovely fall day. I spent a leisurely morning at home and took the opportunity to the environment. It was hair washing morning, so I used a new shampoo and conditioner that Heather gave me the other day. I made the switch from Pantene 2 in 1 about two years ago, and at the time I was convinced that nothing could replace it. I started using Lush which is a bar type shampoo and conditioner. I have found a combination that really works for me but the bars are soft and don’t last very long. Heather and family used to use Lush but have recently switched to HiBAR.
This product is a hard bar, feeling like a bar of soap, and comes packed in paper. It is advertised as having “no soap, sulfates, parabens, phthalate or silicones . . . just beautiful hair.” And the company is proud to say that it is totally plastic-free hair care. I was leery, but I have to say that when I got out of the shower and started combing out my long hair, it was tangle-free. I’ll make a final determination after seeing how my hair feels tomorrow and the next day. But this product looks promising.
I told the Goldstones last night that I would check-in around lunch time today to see how I could be of help. It was another day of laying wood flooring. Heather lays the flooring and Jed cuts the boards. This morning the boys helped by running boards up and down the stairs and by also helping Heather lay the flooring. When I arrived they had stopped for lunch and were all proud to announce that they were half-way there. Ollie and Jonah were ready for a break, so I took them to Trotting Park to ride their bikes on the trails through the woods. We were only in the woods for about an hour, but the boys had a good time. When I brought them home, Jonah and Ollie decided they wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon at home helping with the flooring. Ollie has taken a particular interest and demonstrated for me just how it is done. I was very impressed with his expertise. I then took Sam to a mid-afternoon Boy Scout leadership planning meeting and I headed home to pick up Shadow. We went for an explore that actually took us on a complete circumnavigation of Falmouth. We drove from my house in East Falmouth back into town and then on down to Woods Hole. Then we drove back north through West Falmouth on our way to North Falmouth to walk the trails in the Wings Pond area. Robert’s mother, Grace, took Robert and Sam there on Friday and the photos she took and Sam’s raving about the walk were so inviting that I really wanted to go explore. The paths run through the cranberry bogs and then on into the surrounding woods. Shadow and I certainly didn’t explore the whole area, but it was a delightful place to walk together. The edges of the paths are lined with lots of poison ivy which adds a lot of fall color to the landscape. The poison ivy leaves range from a deep burgundy to red to orange and bright yellow. Something that causes people so much trouble shouldn’t be so beautiful! We then drove eastward to Mashpee where I picked up a few items at Rory’s Market. And then headed home, arriving just in time to sit down by the dock and watch the sun go down behind the trees. I threw tennis balls for Shadow to retrieve and when he got tired, he just laid down in the grass beside me watching the sun go down behind the marsh. The view is so peaceful. It was a lovely way to end a lovely day.
by Judy Handley | Sep 26, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 269: September Saturday
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 72, Low 63 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
I’m having difficulty believing that September is coming to a close. But today was such a perfect September Saturday that I finally began to believe that summer is gone and fall is here. It was mostly sunny, warm without any wind, the plants in the garden are dying off, and the vines in the woods have turned a bright red and orange. It looks and feels like fall. I spent a lazy morning with Shadow, sleeping in longer than we should have, and a little before noon, I headed to the Goldstones. They were hoping to begin the flooring project in Jonah and Ollie’s bedroom today, but they were getting a slow start as well. The boys were off on their bikes with a neighboring family and had gone to the middle school to play tennis. Heather and Jed were struggling with a couple of spots on the sub-flooring that were uneven and needed sanding. I arrived just in time to put a laundry in for me and run to the hardware store for them to pick up some course sanding discs to make the sanding job quicker.
Once the boys got home, from their biking and tennis outing, Sam and Ollie decided that they would like to take their bikes to a track where we go to the skatepark. There are woodland dirt bike trails and they wanted to give that a try. Sam decided to stay home as his bike is more like a racing bike and would not withstand the woodland trails. He stayed home to help with in the beginning stages of the flooring while Ollie, Jonah, and I took off and had a fun time. I took my chair and my book and followed them into the woods so I could watch. The sun was shining through the trees and it was a delightful place to spend part of the afternoon. When we got home, Heather and Jed had really gotten into gear with the flooring and the boys pitched in to help. The work will Heather and Jed have worked out the kinks and things are moving along, it will be easier for all three boys to help out tomorrow.
I had invited the Goldstones over to my house for dinner tonight, so when I left to go fix dinner, Jonah and Ollie decided to come with me. We left Sam behind to the be helper. Each floorboard that needs to be cut is carried down the stairs and out to the driveway where Jed has the saws ready to do the cutting. Then the board needs to be run back upstairs. This is what Sam was doing while Jonah, Ollie, and I went home to play with Shadow and get dinner ready. I think tonight was our final hamburger cookout with corn-on-the-cob for this season. The fresh corn bin at the grocery store has been replaced by small squashes. Plus, there is the fact that it is just too dark to cook out. I guess it is time to start thinking about squash and pumpkins and other fall delights.
by Judy Handley | Sep 25, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 268: Kiss the Ground
Date: Friday, September 25, 2020
Weather: BEAUTIFUL DAY; High 76, Low 58 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Tonight I watched a movie on Netflix called ‘Kiss the Ground’. In just an hour and 24 minutes this documentary makes the case that we can “balance the climate, replenish the water supply, keep species off the extinction list, and better feed the world” by regenerating the Earth’s soils. If only all of that could really happen in less than 90 minutes. The film simply outlines how, using existing solutions, we could not just halt climate change, but also reverse some of its effects. It is definitely worth a watch. The focus is on regenerative agriculture. And if you don’t know what that means, then you really do need to watch the film! It is a story of hope in this very dark time.
I spent the rest of my day again driving to Chelmsford to visit with my niece who is the last stages of pancreatic cancer and then having lunch with her mother Sue who is visiting from Florida. I think Sue and I both really enjoyed our time together and then I headed home. As I did on Monday when I went to visit, I stopped at Costco and IKEA on my way home. I took Shadow with me today and took him for walks at the various stops. 
The leaves are changing colors much earlier this year, so each of those stops gave me a chance to soak in the beauty. But when we got home, we both crashed—thus watching the movie mentioned above.
