by Judy Handley | Aug 25, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 237: RNC, Night 2
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 83, Low 59 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
I’m tired. Tired of tomatoes, tired of hearing people at the Republican National Convention drone on and on about how dangerous they perceive Joe Biden to be, tired of hearing them label anyone not supporting Donald Trump as a socialist, and tired of seeing a President abusing his power by using the White House, the People’s House, as a backdrop for political campaign. Never mind that the Hatch Act makes it illegal, it just seems wrong. And then there was the Secretary of State addressing us in a political speech from a rooftop in Jerusalem. No wonder I’m tired! At least Melania Trump acknowledged the deaths we have experienced in this country from the coronavirus pandemic. As far as I know, the President has never acknowledged this. But enough about that.
Sixty pounds of tomatoes have resulted in 25 pints of marinara sauce. The other the 30 pounds have been blanched, peeled, and deseeded, and await processing in the refrigerator. I’ll work a bit on that tomorrow, but I leave here around 10:30 in the morning to head north to Chelmsford to visit with my nieces, Candi and Lynn. I have not mentioned in my logs that Lynn has, just in the past few weeks, been diagnosed with advanced cancers. She actually has two different cancers which have metastasized. She had three weeks of chemo and then had to be hospitalized due to fluid in her left lung. She got home last week and will start chemo again on Thursday of this week. So, I really wanted to visit with her before that and tomorrow suited all of us best. I am picking up lunch and we will eat and visit outside her apartment building, keeping our social distance. It breaks my heart to think about Lynn’s situation. When Mark was going through his battle with cancer, I was always there to help him. I said at the time that I really didn’t know how people who live alone negotiate the whole cancer treatment regime. But Lynn insists on staying alone in her apartment. Her sister Candi and one brother, Brad, live close by and check on her constantly. It is wonderful that she has the support, but it is just not the same as having someone with you all the time to anticipate your needs. But Lynn is determined. I can only admire her determination.
by Judy Handley | Aug 24, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 236: RNC, Night 1
Date: Monday, August 24, 2020
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 81, Low 68 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
When the first speaker at tonight’s event said that President Trump is “the body guard of Western civilization” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. But it really isn’t funny. He is anything but the body guard of Western civilization in my opinion. I heard that the Convention this week was going to be upbeat, but tonight the whole thing was very negative with too many lies, dangerous lies, to keep track of. I really don’t say this from a partisan point of view. Lies are lies, and they are painfully obvious. Tonight was just such a stark contrast from last week’s D20 that I had a hard time adjusting. Maybe it will get more positive in the next couple of days.
On the positive side, Heather, Jed, and boys arrived at Grammy Marti’s in Boothbay, Maine. They left here around 11:30 am and got there by 5:30 pm. They made great time. I do hope they have two weeks of relation and fun, but I will miss them so much. When I look at my calendar, however, it will be a busy two weeks for me and I think the time will fly by.
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by Judy Handley | Aug 23, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 235: Up to My Elbows in Tomatoes
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2020
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Breezy; High 81, Low 68 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Last night when I wrote my log, I named it “Knee Deep in Tomatoes.” I named it that because the 5-gallon buckets of tomatoes came up to my knees. Today as I processed 60 of the 90 pounds, the resulting peeled and deseeded tomatoes filled a pot that is as tall as the length from my wrist to my elbow. Thus, “Up to My Elbows.” Tomorrow I will add the other ingredients, cook down the sauce, and start the canning process.
Then on Tuesday, I’ll attack the last 30 pounds plus the five and a half pounds I picked from my garden today. The organic sauce tomatoes that I am processing are San Marzanos and Alpacas and are shaped like Roma tomatoes that are common in grocery stores. Not big, but lots of them. When I’m finished, I know I will be happy with the harvest, but I probably won’t want to see another tomato for quite some time.
Late this afternoon a man came to my front door. He was wearing a Covid mask and had an official looking name tag on, but he really didn’t identify himself. I went to the door and Shadow went ballistic. That’s when I saw that he had a very large dog sitting out in the driveway. I tried to calm Shadow and the gentleman said he was looking for 35 Madeline Road. I assured him this was not it. But he continued saying that 27 Madeline is one side of me and the next house is 41 Madeline. He asked, “Where are the houses with numbers in between?” He asked my name and my phone number. That’s when I finally asked him who the hell he was. Was he from the Census Bureau? Yes, he was, but it would have been comforting if he had started with that identification. Anyway, when I assured him there were no houses in the woods that surround my cottage, he was satisfied and ready to move on. But then he invited Shadow out to meet his dog, Ashley—four times the size of Shadow. He assured me Ashley was very well trained and dog friendly. Since Shadow was VERY anxious to go out, I let him go. Ashley was a little too aggressive for Shadow and Shadow was a little too energetic for Ashley. But they got along okay until Shadow started chasing Ashley, causing Ashley to jump the four feet across one of my raised garden beds, knocking down the iron fence stake and the chicken wire fencing on one side of the bed. With all my strength, I could not right the iron stake. I will have use a sledge hammer tomorrow to straighten the stake. But thankfully, Ashley was okay. I have just never seen a dog jump that long and high. There are zinnias in the bed that are 2-3 feet high and she cleared them with no problem. More like a horse than a dog. Then she ran into the bike rack on the back of my car. I suggested to the gentleman that he should take his dog and leave while the dog was still alive! Interesting encounter.
by Judy Handley | Aug 22, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 234: Knee Deep in Tomatoes
Date: Saturday, August 22, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny; Late PM Thunderstorm; High 84, Low 63 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
I woke up this morning to an email ‘ding’ on my phone. It was Carrie from Peach Tree Farm saying she had 70 pounds of organic sauce tomatoes for me. I usually try to get no more than 30 pounds at a time as it is exhausting to process more than that at one time. But last year I took only 30 pounds and then there were no more. Even with the drought this year, the tomato crop is good, but Carrie explained that they are coming in quickly and will be gone within a week or so. I gathered my 5-gallon buckets and a couple of boxes and headed to the farm to pick up the tomatoes. When I got there, Carrie actually had 90 pounds. Did I want them all? I decided yes and divided the tomatoes between my 5-gallon buckets and boxes trying to put about 15 pounds in each.
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I didn’t want to get home with a container that was too heavy for me to handle and inadvertently put a strain on my back. When I got home and started carrying the tomatoes inside I suddenly felt like I was knee deep in tomatoes. I will be blanching tomatoes, peeling off the skins, removing the seeds, putting what’s left through the Vita-Mix, adding other ingredients, and then cooking down and canning the sauce that should fill enough pint jars to get the Goldstones and myself through the next year . . . and maybe beyond. Year before last I processed 90 pounds and that is what got us through this last winter since tomatoes were so scare last summer. Could happen again, so my motto is, “Make tomato sauce while you have tomatoes.” And the timing is perfect. This will give me something to focus on while Heather and family are on vacation.
It was a beautiful day, but things started to change mid-afternoon. First the thunder came, then it got very dark, the wind started blowing, and finally came a deluge of rain. I was just getting ready to drive over to Heather and Jed’s to pick up some canning jars and deliver some fried green tomatoes when the rain started. I was sure it wouldn’t rain, but as I was walking to the car, the heavens opened. I rushed back into the house, not before getting drenched, and waited for things to settle down before driving into town. Jed is feeling great. His fever, stiff neck, and achiness have gone away and the tell-tale bull’s eye on his torso is disappearing. Hopefully taking the doxycycline early enough will reduce the risk of acquiring Lyme disease from what we are assuming was a tick bite. I am so happy that he doesn’t have Covid and is feeling good and will be able to head to Maine with the family for a couple of weeks of vacation starting on Monday. Heather has to work half-days this coming week which she will do online from Maine, but then the second week she is unplugging for a few well-deserved days of full time vacation.
I had a long phone conversation with friends Linda and Mike Stuart today. They have ended their ‘round the world bike touring for now and are trying to get settled into an apartment in Lakewood, Colorado. Bike touring, touring of any kind, during a pandemic is just not safe. And besides, they become grandparents in November and want to be close enough to see that grandbaby. However, after traveling almost 30,000 miles on their bikes since August of 2014, settling into an apartment during a pandemic has been challenging. It is difficult to meet people and it is difficult to furnish an apartment. They ordered a bed but the delivery has been delayed until who knows when. So they are still sleeping on their camp mats. But they have made some progress. They now have a table, a car, and a phone. Hurray! Now I can talk to Linda. And hopefully they will start meeting some people, at a distance, of course, and settle into their new life in Colorado.
by Judy Handley | Aug 21, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 233: Celebration
Date: Friday, August 21, 2020
Weather: Sunny; High 78, Low 67 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Jed got the results of his Covid test this afternoon—negative! News that deserves a celebration. But good friend Bruce Woodin said it best, “I never thought I would be glad to hear someone had a tickborne disease, but in the days of Covid that is sort of good news! Particularly since it is eminently treatable with antibiotics.” Jed is feeling so much better since starting the round of doxycycline and hopefully that will continue and he will be able to enjoy the family vacation in Maine. Sam lost a filling last night and had to have an emergency dentist appointment today. The filling was replaced and I hope that is the end of their medical emergencies for a great while. The whole family got Covid tests this morning and will be heading to Maine as soon as the results return. I will not be able to see them before they leave as they should have no contact with anyone until they arrive in Maine. I will miss them terribly and will look forward to their return.
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Since Jed’s Covid test results were negative, I can now see others without fear of transmitting the virus. That news came just in time for me to go to a gathering of my Newcomers Wine Group. We had planned to meet on the beach but then realized that consuming alcohol on the beach is illegal. Good citizens that we are, we made the decision to meet in Eileen and Billy Sullivan’s front yard. The beach would have been fun, but not the responsible choice. We all brought our own chairs and food and individual small bottles of wine to share. We are four couples and two singles. So, ten of us in total. It is a great group of people that I truly enjoy getting together with. We plan to have September and October gatherings outside before having to go back to meeting on Zoom. But whether in person or on Zoom, we always have a great time together.
by Judy Handley | Aug 20, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 230: D20, Night 3
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 76, Low 60 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
This has been a strange week. Normal life has been disrupted due to Jed’s symptoms of what we do not know—but that we learned a little more about today. That, plus the fact that today was the official roll-out of the rebranding of Woods Hole Research Center to Woodwell Climate Research Center—the project that has consumed all of Heather’s time for months–made today a turning point. Heather called early this morning saying that the rash on Jed’s stomach was looking more and more like the bull’s eye that accompanies a deer tick bite that results in Lyme Disease. Not good, but better than Covid, if caught early. Jed had a late afternoon video appointment with his physician who agreed with that assessment and started him on Doxycycline, just in case. We still have to wait for the results of his Covid test, but with social distancing and masks, I joined the Goldstones on their deck tonight for a sushi dinner celebrating Heather’s accomplishments. The heavy burden on Heather’s shoulders was certainly lighter tonight. So congratulations to her for a job well done. Jed joined us from a distance and seemed to be feeling okay with the use of Advil. If his temperature goes down after starting the Doxycycline tonight, that will be a indication that the problem has been a tick bite. But it can take longer than 12 hours to take effect, so we will just have to muddle through until the Covid test results return. Still, it was a hopeful day.
Then came night three of the Democratic National Convention tonight. I literally broke down and cried like a baby when I heard Barack Obama say “Don’t let them take away your democracy.” I’ve never heard him speak as he did tonight. This was not a political speech, but rather an earnest warning to the citizens of this country that we could be on the brink of losing our democracy. He was followed by Kamala Harris where she shared the story of her life. I have been amazed at how the DNC has crafted a virtual convention that has definitely kept my attention for three straight nights. They have truly show-cased the depth and breadth of the people of this country while moving forward the Biden-Harris ticket. Looking forward to night number four.
