by Judy Handley | Apr 28, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 119: Another Day of Rest
Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Weather: Overcast, Still Chilly with N Winds; High 45 degrees, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Ye old back gave me a direct message this morning that this would be another day of rest. I know the key to recovery is to keep moving, but I really didn’t sleep much last night due to the pain, so I slept away part of this afternoon. It was windy and cold this morning and no matter what exercises I did, the shooting pains from my lower back into my hips didn’t go away. As a result, I didn’t force myself to take my morning walk with Shadow. That was a mistake. I spent most of the day sitting or lying down, and still the pain was no better. So late this afternoon, I did more exercises, put on my hiking boots, and headed out for that walk with Shadow. Amazing. The first half mile was painful, but after that it got better and better. Maybe it was a combination of the rest and the walking, but I think it was just the walking that made things better. So no matter how painful, I just have to force myself to keep on walking!
The wind was from the north today, so no matter what the thermometer said, it was still a winter hat and coat and gloves day. But we should have a one day reprieve tomorrow. The winds have already died down and the forecast calls for some sunshine tomorrow. I have invited the Goldpebbles over for an afternoon of gardening and kayaking to celebrate the sunshine. Then Heather and Jed will join us for dinner.
I did venture out once today. After sending the seeds to Jo yesterday, she sent another request for some seeds for medicinals. I called the garden center that is right across the highway from my neighborhood and they had one of the four things she needs. They are open for business, but really only for curbside pick-up. So I paid for the seeds on the phone, drove over to their outside kiosk, waited until there was no one in line, and was handed the seeds through a sliding window. The governor announced today that things won’t start opening up in Massachusetts until after the middle of May, but this type of shopping works for me. I was able to find the other 3 things Jo needs online. They will deliver here, but not to PR. So once I get the seeds, I’ll send them on. It takes a village.
by Judy Handley | Apr 27, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 118: Something’s Gotta Give
Date: Monday, April 27, 2020
Weather: Overcast, Misty, Windy; High 45 degrees, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today I kept hearing Frank Sinatra singing in my head, “Something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give.” The weather has been miserable and I see no end to this slow cooker environment we have all been living in for the past six weeks. I have had it easy as I have been able to see my family. But most people have not and I know that is so hard. Regardless, this is not the time to let up. For me, the thing that has to give is my vision of how things should be. Maybe that has already happened as I find it hard to even think beyond today . . . therefore, no vision of how things should be. I have lost any vision for the future. But I heard an interview with Al Gore tonight that gave me hope for the future. He painted a picture of the possibility of an almost immediate future that looks very different from the past. He talked about the connections between the coronavirus pandemic and climate change and thinks we must come out the other side of this pandemic with drastically different energy policies. He thinks it is perfect opportunity to go totally green and leave fossil fuels behind. He also expressed his hope that all Americans will come together in November to make a change in who is leading our country in these very difficult times. He basically said this is not a partisan hope; it is our only hope. I couldn’t agree more.
I was much relieved this morning to get a text from Sam on Windbird saying they had stayed in the Intracoastal Waterway instead of going off-shore around Cape Hatteras. They are going to slow down and spend time in the waterways in North Carolina before heading further north. Before the end of May, they need to get Windbird to New York City where they will live aboard for the next year or so. But as Sam pointed out in his message to me, he probably won’t be doing a lot of flying, so no big hurry. I also heard more from my daughter-in-law Jo. She found a way to send me the video of her garden via WhatsApp. When I was last there in March of 2017 after Hurricane Maria, Jo had just started gardening on the hillside beside their home and the garden was in the shape of a heart. She has expanded and expanded and now has a lush hillside garden. 
It is beautiful and will soon start providing them with lots of fresh veggies. This morning, I was able to get seeds that Jo needs to expand the garden. She was shocked that I could get seeds here as there are none in Puerto Rico. I reminded her that it has been so cold here that no one is thinking about planting anything quite yet. Once the weather warms up, I’m sure the seeds will quickly disappear, so this morning I bought what I think I need as well. I went to the local hardware store where I could see the seed rack while still standing outside. I knew the seed rack’s location and most of its content as I had gone there in early March just before the lockdown to buy seeds. I talked to the clerk on my phone telling him which seed packets I wanted. He then checked me out via phone and brought the bag of seeds to my car. I did have to go in the Post Office to send the seeds, but I was very careful. And it warmed my heart to think that I could contribute to the garden at Finca Maravilla that will feed Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco.
Back to “something’s gotta give”—this weather is absolutely miserable, and it needs to give. It was misty most of the day and very windy. When I took Shadow out for a walk early this morning, I had on my winter coat and hat, but I had put my winter gloves away thinking they were no longer needed. Before my afternoon walk, those gloves came out and helped a bit. But Shadow got soaking wet on both walks and I’m sure he was freezing as well. Tomorrow looks a little sunnier but still windy. But Wednesday looks good before more rain on Thursday. So I’m going to plan a mid-week weather celebration.
by Judy Handley | Apr 26, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 117: Definitely a Day of Rest
Date: Sunday, April 26, 2020
Weather: Rainy Day with Thunderstorms; High 49 degrees, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I took the ‘day of rest’ thing seriously today and did absolutely nothing of consequence other than survive. Yet somehow I have been busy all day. The unfortunate thing is that my back is no better at the end of do-nothing day. The good thing is that it is no worse. I’ve started doing a few exercises for sciatica and they help for a bit, but then the pain returns. Walking helps the most, so even in the miserable rain, Shadow and I did our walking today.
I did hear from Sam aboard Windbird this morning. Windbird is rounding Cape Hatteras tonight as he and Dawn are headed to Norfolk on their way north. I also talked to Kevin and Claire in Philadelphia this evening. They have hardly been off Merganser in weeks. They are treating it like a long passage and are enjoying it. But the weather was beautiful there yesterday and they took a ride out in the country in their motor home. It was fun, but they feel safer back home on the boat. I didn’t talk to Justin and Jo in Puerto Rico today, but I got an email from Jo. She is working hard at growing as much food as she can but needs seeds that she can’t get locally. I have some of the seeds she needs, so I’ll get those in the mail tomorrow. And my other activity was to listen to the interviews on The Food Revolution. Today’s topic was brain health and the take-away from the three interviews was that the health of your brain is dependent on the food you eat. And the best food for your brain is fresh vegetables, and lots of them! Both Heather and I have been able to procure lots of greens during these coronavirus times. For brain health, greens at every meal is the recommendation. I get that with my green smoothie for breakfast, a big salad for lunch, and a dinner that includes at least three different veggies, one of which is a green. My assessment of what I heard today to maintain brain health is to “Go Green.”
by Judy Handley | Apr 25, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 116: Never Ending Move . . . Almost Done
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2020
Weather: Beautiful Sunny Day; High 57 degrees, Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Hurray, hurray! What has come to feel like the never ending move is almost done. I have not been able lift and carry boxes since throwing my back out on the first day of the move, but I have been able to find other ways to support. It was a huge decision for Heather and Jed to do this move without any professional help. But, understandably, they really didn’t want to introduce outsiders into the family unit during these days of the coronavirus. I left them around 6:30 this evening as they were unloading the ‘almost last’ van load. They were going to have take-out pizza for dinner and make one last trip before bedtime. That should be the last load. Then, hopefully, they can start fully focusing on the unpacking and the renovations in the new house. While Heather and Jed are working full time at home and home schooling the three boys, it is going to be a slow process. But I know it will be a huge relief for them to know that they no longer have to shuffle things from one house to the other. Closing on 60 Vidal happens on Thursday, so it will be done by then for sure. Today was a beautiful day and as we worked on packing up the last things, the boys played in the backyard with Molly and Joey from next door. They have grown up as brothers and sisters and the farewell this evening was definitely bittersweet. 
The Keefe’s were going somewhere, so the kids said one more farewell as their next door neighbors drove away. They will, of course, remain friends, but that is different from being next door. The Goldpebbles seem to be taking this in stride. They love exploring the conservation area behind their new house and they are excited about the renovations planned for their new bedrooms. And they are constantly planning a ‘man cave’ music room in the basement.
This evening I am listening to interviews from the first day of the 9th Annual Food Revolution Summit. This is hosted by Ocean Robbins, son of John Robbins, who was a major food revolution leader beginning in the 1970’s. I found the first interview of the series to be absolutely fascinating. It was with Dr. Matt McCarthy who is an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and an assistant attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He has been on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic and shared his experiences of the past few weeks. He wrote a book that came out last summer called, SUPERBUGS: The Race to Stop an Epidemic. Matt went to Yale College and played baseball for his four years there. When he graduated with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, he spent a year in Minor League Baseball. After one year, he left baseball and wrote about that experience in a book entitled Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit. From Minor League Baseball, he went to Harvard Medical School. Once he became a physician, he wrote another book, The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly: A Physician’s First Year. He has the special talent of being about to write about his experiences. In Superbugs he wrote about his research in West Africa with pathogens transferred to humans from animals, specifically from bats. He saw clearly that a world pandemic was coming. He just didn’t know exactly when. He is now living through that pandemic, treating Covid-19 patients. The things I loved most about the interview was that he shared what he and his family are doing at home to protect themselves from Covid. It was interesting to hear how they deal with the food coming into their home. They unpack outside and leave paper bags and boxes outside to be recycled or thrown in the trash. They wash vegetables in water with nothing added. But as he pointed out, there is no research that tells us exactly the best way to do this. His family is just like mine or yours. We are all just doing the best that we can with the information we have.
by Judy Handley | Apr 24, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 115: Harry Potter Times Three
Date: Friday, April 24, 2020
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 47 degrees, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
As forecast, it was indeed a rainy day which made for a great movie binge day with Sam, Jonah, and Ollie. We were up early, had breakfast, and then watched Harry Potter 1. We took a break after the first movie to try and watch a science webinar about the current herring run. We connected my computer to the television and we could watch it just fine. But none of us could get the sound going. After twenty minutes of trying, we realized that my computer was on mute. Duh! Sam was shocked that none of us had thought to check that, but we hadn’t. Since we can watch that program later, we abandoned watching it and started watching Harry Potter 2. We paused for lunch, finished watching the second HP, and ended the afternoon with Harry Potter 3. At the end of the afternoon, the boys couldn’t believe they were still in their PJ’s and had not been outside all day. I had taken Shadow for a couple of walks, but it was miserable out. It was a great day to spend inside.
by Judy Handley | Apr 23, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 114: Boundless Energy
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2020
Weather: Sun Early, Then Mostly Cloudy and Windy; High 47 degrees, Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
No, I don’t have boundless energy. But the Goldpebbles do and tonight I am worn out from just watching them put that energy into another spring vacation work and play day.
I had a follow-up chiropractor visit this morning at 10 am and there was definite improvement after my visit yesterday. So, I will return a couple of times next week and probably the week after that. I am just thankful that my chiropractor is nearby and is doing everything possible to make visits to his office as safe as possible. I was in and out fairly quickly and was at the Goldstones by 10:30. I was met by a bag of groceries sitting by the door for me and three boys ready to spend the rest of the day, tonight, and tomorrow at my house. Heather made a trip to the grocery store for both of us this morning. Thank you, Heather. Unfortunately, many things on our lists were not in stock. I had hoped to get grassfed ground beef so I could have hamburgers for dinner for the boys tonight, but that was a no go at Stop and Shop. Later in the day, however, I ordered from the tiny organic market in Mashpee Commons and within an hour, the bag with the grassfed ground beef and other goodies was on my doorstep. They didn’t have buns of any sort, so I made hamburger buns. They were not only a great hit, they were extremely fast and easy to make.
Even though the boys were packed and mostly ready to go. We made a stop at 60 Vidal to dig up a few raspberry plants that we want to move to my yard. We only dug up a few to use as guinea pigs to see if our plan was going to work. By the time we got to my house, it was time to fix lunch. While Ollie and Sam dug the trench for transplanting raspberries, Jonah and I made flakey biscuits to go with a mac and cheese lunch. Not sure what happened, but the biscuits were definitely not flakey. I’ve made those biscuits for years, but maybe using almond milk instead of regular milk doesn’t work with this recipe. The boys ate them anyway and then we returned to the raspberry project. We planted the ones we had brought with us and determined that our plan was going to work. But before going back to get more plants, it was time for the next item on our agenda which was kayaking. 
Once again, Shadow and I sat by the dock in what felt like freezing wind and watched the Goldpebbles enjoying another kayak explore. Then we went back to 60 Vidal for more raspberries. 
I’ll not go into detail on what is like trying to oversee three fully energized boys doing this project. I’ll just say they work like bulls in a China shop. But bottom line. They got the job done! There are still more raspberries at 60 Vidal, but if we are going to transplant those, that project will have to wait until the weekend.
When we got back in the house after transplanting the raspberries, it was time for quiet indoor play while I got dinner together. I made those 40-minute hamburger buns, but then realized that I had no ketchup. The Goldpebbles consider ketchup to be its own food group and believe you can’t have a meal without it, especially not a hamburger. So as soon as the buns came out of the oven, we drove to 43 Grasmere to borrow some ketchup. When we got back home, Sam grilled the burgers and everyone agreed that the burgers were perfectly grilled and that the buns were perfect. Success.
The boys are fast asleep now and I am tired. But I am not nearly as tired as the parents in this country and around the world trying to work full-time while basically homeschooling their children. It is hard enough to home school kids, but to do it while you are working full-time from home is almost impossible. Then there are the parents who are still out there going to work everyday with kids at home with no one to be with them. It’s not like summer when you can send them to camp and enroll them in other activities. There are no camps and no other activities. And then there are the parents who have lost their jobs and are at home and have the time to educate their kids, but are so stressed out about how they are going to pay the next rent check or feed their family with no money coming in that they can’t think straight. We, all of us, have a lot of figuring out to do right now. As I am sure you know, it is totally overwhelming. We’ll get there, but this is tough stuff.
The Goldpebbles and I are going to totally ignore the world’s problems tomorrow. It is supposed to rain all day and we have planned a movie binge day to celebrate the last day of spring school vacation. We are going to start by watching Harry Potter 1 and 2 for the second or third time, maybe watch Harry Potter 3, and in between we might fit in a few science videos. Stay tuned on how that goes.
