by Judy Handley | Aug 20, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 232: D20, Night 4
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 76, Low 63 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
I’ve never watched a political convention where I wished I was taking notes. But tonight was one of those nights. So many important things were said that I wish I could remember, but can’t. When Cory Booker quoted a family member, maybe it was his grandfather, said something like ‘liberty ain’t free, you got to work for it’, I knew I needed my note pad. The Democratic National Convention was some of the most emotional television I have ever watched. Tonight when thirteen-year-old Braden, a stutterer from New Hampshire, told his story of how Joe Biden helped him, it was quite a moment. The story of Joe Biden’s life that has had more than its share of sorrow was told, but it was shown how he has always turned that sorrow around to hope. And tonight in his acceptance speech, Joe Biden gave us all hope in a this very trying time. Biden nailed it with his acceptance speech. The contrast between light and dark was very effective and his statement that he would be the President of all the people, not just those who vote for him, brought us back to what a President of this great country should always do.
And speaking of trying times, I am so frustrated with how long it takes to get results of a Covid test and what that means to so many people. On the positive side, Jed seems much better now that he has started taking the doxycycline in case his problem is from a tick bite and not Covid. So that is reassuring. But it would be nice to have the results of the test he had on Tuesday morning. Maybe tomorrow?? Myself, Heather, the Goldpebbles, and anyone else Jed saw in the days prior to the onset of his fever are all in self-quarantine waiting for the results. And because Heather and family are supposed to be heading to Maine on Sunday or Monday on vacation, they all, even Jed, have to get a Covid test tomorrow morning and then they cannot see anyone until they get the results and head to Maine. It sure would be so much easier for so many people if test results were available in a shorter period of time. It was not until late this evening when I talked to Heather that I realized I would not be able to see them this weekend. So, I hurried over to say goodbye. Of course, if Jed’s test results are positive, there will be no vacation. We just have to wait and see.
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I spent a really lazy summer day sitting on the dock reading and watching the egrets, giving Shadow a bath and then going back to the dock with Shadow to read while he dried out in the sun. I also spent time sitting in my yard reading and watching the insect activity in my gardens. Last year there were lots of Monarch butterflies, but this year the Swallowtails are dominating. And there are so many bees doing their pollinating job. Cucumbers are coming in and Black-eyed Susans are blooming next to towers of beans. Tomatoes are ready to pick and the pink flowers of Echinacea, the zinnias, and the sunflowers are attracting both bees and butterflies. Beautiful to watch.
by Judy Handley | Aug 18, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 230: D20, Night 2
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Weather: Sunny, Windy Day; High 78, Low 62 F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Just finished watching the second night of the Democratic National ‘Virtual’ Convention and I was quite impressed. I didn’t think they could keep my interest for a second night. How could anyone top Michele Obama’s speech from last night? But they did keep my interest. And Jill Biden’s speech was so different from Michele Obama’s that no one would even try to compare them. I loved tonight’s roll call, seeing the little vignettes from every state and territory in our country. And the Biden story was told so masterfully, ending with the wonderful speech by Jill Biden. We saw her falling in love, becoming a mother, loving her role as an ed ucator, becoming a runner so she could survive, and being fiercely loyal, not only to her family, but to all who reach out with a need. And we got to see who Joe Biden is and has always been. It is so reassuring to see someone who has been in politics for his entire life and has always fought for the same values. Kudos to the DNC for a job well done.
My friend Alan Kanegsberg had a total shoulder replacement today, so I’m sending him healing thoughts tonight. And my son-in-law, Jed, continues to battle with symptoms of what, we don’t know. He did get a Covid test this morning, but he won’t have results for two or three days. In the meantime, we are staying separated and self-quarantining until we get the results. I did come up with an idea today where Heather could drop the boys off here where they could spend the day outside. Maybe not totally safe for me, but it would give them a change of scenery for the day and give Heather and Jed a much needed break. Heather’s big roll out of the name change from the Woods Hole Research Center to the Woodwell Climate Research Center happens tomorrow, all virtual, of course. So I thought it might be helpful to her to not have to deal with the boys. We’ll see what happens. The plan was for the Goldstones to head to Maine for a two week vacation beginning on Sunday or Monday. But now they have to wait until they get the results of Jed’s Covid test before they can move forward. And even if it is not Covid, he needs to feel better than he does now before taking off on a road trip. Sure hope things turn around for him soon.
by Judy Handley | Aug 17, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 229: D20
Date: Monday, August 17, 2020
Weather: Drizzle with Wind, Turning Sunny Late PM; High 70, Low 64 F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
It seems like an eternity ago, but it was only four years ago that Mark and I watched the Democratic Convention 2016. A few weeks later, Mark died. So tonight, when I watched the first night of the 2020 Democratic Convention, D20, I thought of Mark constantly. He was deeply political. When I met him, he was a borderline anarchist. I was the total opposite—a total believer in the established democratic way. This difference in our political views was the source of many “interesting” discussions when we first met. Things changed over the years. I came to believe more like him and he came to believe more like me. In his last days in 2016, he was sure that Donald Trump could never be elected President, but I feared he was wrong. I truly don’t think he could envision the mess we are in now. But I know he would have enjoyed hearing Michele Obama’s speech tonight. She speaks from the heart and makes it clear why she is often at the top of the charts as the world’s most admired woman. It was interesting watching the first night of the virtual convention. I loved the theme, “We the people . . . “ The evening was much more interesting than I thought it would be, but can the Dems keep this going for three more nights? We shall see.
I had the day off today. I started early with an appointment with my neurosurgeon to review my back’s progress. He was very pleased that it appears that things are healing naturally. His projection is that in another month, I should be back to normal and be able to resume all activities. Actually, I’ve already done that for the most part, but I am very, very careful. I have not started an exercise regime, however, and he suggests waiting another month before doing that. Walking and biking were the recommendations for now. So, no talk of surgery and no need for a cortisone shot. Things are on the right track. I just hope I can keep it that way.
When I got home from the appointment in Hyannis is was still early and I had the whole day before me. Heather sent a text last night saying Jed had a slight temperature, so she thought I should not expose myself by being with the boys until we figure out Jed’s situation. He’s feeling better today, so tomorrow we will reassess.
by Judy Handley | Aug 16, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 228: Catching Up with Family and Friends
Date: Sunday, August 16, 2020
Weather: Overcast, Rain Late; High 69, Low 62 F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Much of my weekend was spent either on the phone or in person talking with family and friends. In these times when you really can’t visit with friends who live far away, talking on the phone is the way to catch up. Friday night I talked to Lynne in New Zealand. Yesterday I had a long telephone conversation with my niece Lynne who was in the hospital. Then I met up with Susie and Jim from Reveille. Then this morning I talked to Kevin and Claire, my young friends who live aboard their boat in Philadelphia. Much to my surprise, they are going to take their motor home across the US and relocate in the Los Angeles area. Both of their employers are fine with theirve as they have been working from home since March and will continue that way most likely through the next year. Kevin’s mother is in Pasadena and his sister and her family live in the Los Angeles area. Claire’s only sibling, her sister, has moved to the LA area as well. So, they are hoping that relocating in that part of the world will allow them to form a “corona bubble” with family members to ride out the coronavirus. I don’t think I will get to see them before they leave, but I know we will be together again if and when life returns to normal. I also talked to Justin and family via Skype video today. Ziggy and Coco are spending time creating music with an online app. Ziggy’s music is electronic dance music, but Coco’s creations have more of a mystical aire to them. Great that they are finding creative ways to spend their coronavirus stay-at-home days. And then I ended my evening by talking with my sister in Tennessee. I also made clam chowder, finally, with all of those clams we got last Sunday. TI also made clam chowder, finally, with all of those clams we got last Sunday. That was it for me for this rainy weekend. The rain has brought an end to the very hot weather we have been experiencing. Actually, I’m cold. I put on a long sleeve shirt, but that didn’t help. I think I need to close some windows—easier said than done!
by Judy Handley | Aug 15, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 227: Visit with Sailing Friends
Date: Saturday, August 15, 2020
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 74, Low 65 F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Jim Hammitt and Susie Klein are sailing friends that Mark and I met while we were preparing for our sail around the world. We met Susie at a weekend HAM radio class in 2005, she introduced us to her husband Jim, and the friendship has endured.
Reveille is the name of Jim and Susie’s sailboat and I got a call from Susie last night saying they had just arrived in Quissett Harbor (Reveille with the blue sail cover). We decided to meet in Woods Hole this afternoon to visit. We hoped to get take-out for lunch and find a place to sit and talk. Then this morning I got another call from Susie delaying the time of our get together. She said she could explain the reason for the delay with two words, “head explosion.” On a boat, a toilet is referred to as a head. When you flush, the waste goes into a holding tank if things are working properly. It was really their holding tank that had the explosion and the clean up process is not pretty. Jim had decided to stay onboard and deal with the issue, but Susie would still meet me. At this point, I asked if she would consider riding in my car’s backseat, both of us masked, of course, rather than her walking to Woods Hole to meet me. She agreed and I picked her up at 12:30 pm. Jim came ashore to say hello and then Susie and I headed off. Since she was riding with me, instead of walking, we decided to go into downtown Falmouth and pick up lunch at the French bakery. Jim and Susie just bought an apartment in Toulouse, France, so celebrating with a lunch from the French bakery seemed just the thing to do. Jim is a Professor of Economics and Decision Sciences in Harvard’s School of Public Health and he is the Director of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. He collaborates with the Economics Department at the University of Toulouse and Jim and Susie spend enough time there that buying an apartment made sense. They both really enjoy their time in Toulouse, but after buying the apartment in January, Covid 19 took over the world. Unfortunately, they can’t visit their new apartment until Americans are once again allowed in the EU, so Susie really enjoyed our visit to Falmouth’s boulangerie to get a little taste of France. We took our lunch across the street and ate on a library lawn bench in the drizzly rain. We then walked down Main Street which was too crowded with people to be comfortable. But Susie saw a shirt that she loved at a sidewalk sale. We then drove to West Marine where she bought a new pair of deck shoes. She hasn’t’ been shopping since the lockdown in March and she felt like she was on a mini afternoon vacation. We ended with a walk through Spohr Gardens and then back to Quissett. It was a great afternoon reprieve for both of us.
by Judy Handley | Aug 14, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 226: Three Pines, Now Two
Date: Friday, August 14, 2020
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 82, Low 66 F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
I had hoped to take the boys to Plymouth today to see the Mayflower II at the dock, but when I arrived at the Goldstones, Heather and Jed convinced me that going off Cape on a Friday in August was a really bad idea. Going off is not the problem. It is getting back on. Already, Jed could show me the huge back up of traffic trying to get onto the Cape. So, we scrapped that idea and headed to my house to have lunch and figure out what we would do.
Jed offered to come over later in the afternoon to cut down a leaning pine tree between the cottage and Shirley’s house and the boys were enthusiastic about that. The driveway between our two houses is a cul-de-sac with a planted area in the middle. Three tall pine trees are/were in that area, but one that was leaning over needed to come down. Once Jed arrived, it took only a few minutes to fell the tree. The clean-up, however, took an hour and a half. At one point, Sam started attaching some of the branches to Shadow’s leash and Shadow gladly pulled them to their final resting place. That was fun to watch. It was an afternoon of relaxing, Legos, and tree clean-up. This was good for Jonah as the ugly asphalt burn he got as the result of a fall yesterday needed a day of rest. There is one little divot in the middle of the scrape that was still bleeding a little. Hopefully, he will be fully recovered by Monday and ready for action again.
