by Judy Handley | Dec 17, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 351: More R & R
Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Weather: Snow Early, Turning to Rain; High 46, Low 30 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Ugh. This cold is just not going away quickly, so I spent another day resting. Shadow and I took a couple of naps together and I did make one foray out to do a little Christmas shopping. But it was very little and then I was back home on the couch. I got a call from a cousin that I talk to about once a year, talked to Linda and Mike Stuart who called me on Skype to check in about my trip to Florida to visit with them in January, and checked in with my sister in Nashville. I am hoping that by Friday I will be ready for the weekend of holiday activities. 
Today I didn’t attend a holiday luncheon with my Newcomers Dining-in Group, but they sent photos so I could be with them in spirit.
by Judy Handley | Dec 17, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 350: Sam’s 7th Grade Band Concert
Date: Monday, December 16, 2019
Weather: Overcast; High 40, Low 27 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It is hard for me to believe that I have a grandchild that is almost 13, in seventh grade, and plays drums like a rock star. How very lucky I am to live close enough to some of my grandchildren to be able to do things like attend their band concerts. Tonight was Sam’s band concert, and even though Shadow and I had slept most of the day as I have a full blown cold, I was determined to go to the concert. 
It filled my heart with joy to watch him play drums, especially with the jazz band where he is one of four percussion players. He was very nervous about tonight’s performance so Heather and Jed arranged for him to have a special lesson with his private drum instructor yesterday. That seemed to give him the confidence he needed to succeed tonight. And succeed, he did. His private instructor came to the concert tonight and gave him a rave review.
I have cancelled all activities for the rest of the week in hopes that I can kick this cold before the weekend of holiday fun. It starts Friday night when Ollie plays violin with the Sonnay Fiddlers at the Heritage Gardens Aglow, then a Saturday evening solstice celebration at the Goldstones, and a first night of Hanukkah celebration on Sunday evening. We then have one day off before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I’m also looking forward to some holiday cooking and bread wreath making with the Goldpebbles.
by Judy Handley | Dec 15, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 349: Lunch in NH, Dinner Back on the Cape
Date: Sunday, December 15, 2019
Weather: Clearing, Lots of Wind; High 53, Low 27 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
My day started in New Hampshire and ended back here on Cape Cod. I didn’t sleep well last night as I woke up at some point with a very sore throat. But by morning that was gone. Shadow slept great, however, and didn’t wake up until the alarm went off at 7:30 am. I had set the alarm so I would have time to get Shadow outside to potty and then inside to eat breakfast before Detta and I took off with him to walk on the beach with Leslie. We met Leslie on the beach at 8:30 and walked for almost an hour. There were lots of very big dogs on the beach and I had to carry Shadow some of the time to protect him from aggressive dogs, but all worked out and we enjoyed the walk. We all then headed home to get ready for the next activity. Detta and I were taking Leslie out to brunch at a restaurant with live music. Again, Tom stayed home to babysit the dogs. I owe him big time for taking care of Shadow for me, but he did seem to enjoy it. Detta and I met Leslie at CR’s in Hampton and enjoyed the music from the jazz bar, the elegant setting, and the fabulous food. Today was Leslie’s actual birthday and we ended the celebration with Leslie’s favorite dessert, crème brûlée. Tom met us at the restaurant with my car and Shadow so I didn’t have to drive back to their house, and then I was on my way home. Again, Shadow went to sleep right away and slept most of the way home. We did make one potty stop for me and for Shadow, but he went right back to sleep. I sure hope all of our travels go this smoothly. Once home, I unpacked the car and then headed to Heather and Jed’s to drop off Shadow and then head into town to pick up sushi for all of us for dinner. We enjoyed the special treat and after dinner we got to do a little holiday planning. The festivities will start on Saturday with a Solstice Party, continue on Sunday with the first night of Hanukkah, and then on Tuesday and Wednesday with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations. On the 26th the Goldstones will head to Maine and Shadow and I will stay home to enjoy the New Year together.
by Judy Handley | Dec 14, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 348: Leslie Kole’s 70th Birthday Celebration
Date: Saturday, December 14, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High 55, Low 47 degrees
Location: At Home with Tom and Detta Porat, Greenland, NH
Shadow’s first road trip went without a hitch. He is a great little traveler. We left home at 11:15 am and arrived at Tom and Detta Porat’s in Greenland, NH, three hours later. I had planned to make a couple of shopping stops, but Shadow went to sleep as soon as we got on the road and I dared not stop and wake him up. I’ve always believed you shouldn’t wake a sleeping baby, and now I believe you shouldn’t wake a sleeping puppy while traveling. The only issue we had is that I woke up with a terrible cough. I felt fine, but the cough is not pretty. When we arrived at Detta and Tom’s, Tom announced that he also had a cold and really didn’t feel great. But he and Detta introduced their 2-year-old Golden Retriever, Addie, to Shadow. And Tom then said he was going to stay home and babysit the dogs while Detta and I attended our friend Leslie Kole’s 70th birthday celebration. I hated that Tom felt so bad, but the fact that he was going to stay with the dogs gave Detta and I wonderful chance to visit with Leslie with no worries about pups at home alone. The celebration was at Leslie’s daughter’s home. Jess and her husband Tom have two children, 4-year-old Luke and 2-year-old Piper, and both were attending the celebration for Grammie. Detta and I got there a little early to help set up, but Jess and Tom really had everything under control. And their home was decorated beautifully for the holidays and for Leslie’s birthday. Leslie lost her husband Rich in September and is still desperately struggling with that loss, but she seemed to enjoy the small gathering tonight. After the celebration, Detta and I returned home to find Shadow snuggled up to Tom. We then had a little holiday party and exchanged Christmas presents. It was a lovely evening with wonderful friends. And just seeing Leslie smile made the trip worth it.
by Judy Handley | Dec 14, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 347: Headed to NH
Date: Friday, December 13, 2019
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Late; High 54, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
After attending a late morning tea at Midge Frieswyk’s, I spent the rest of the day getting ready for my trip to New Hampshire tomorrow. The tea was lovely. There were about 15 women attending and Midge’s holiday decorations were beautiful. I especially appreciated her larger than life Nutcracker. I will be back on Sunday and I am taking Shadow with me. This will be his first road trip, so I’m hoping all goes well.
by Judy Handley | Dec 12, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 346: Newcomers Holiday Luncheon
Date: Thursday, December 12, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Cold; High 43, Low 21 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The Newcomers Holiday Luncheon was today at The Cape Club in North Falmouth. We had 116 members registered and The Cape Club accommodates a large group easily, The food was great, but as always, it is the company and conversation that makes the event. I sat at a table with my wine group and we added to the merriment by having a Yankee Exchange with a wine theme. Great fun! I rode to the event with Peter and Karen Baranowski. I asked them to pick me up a few minutes early so Peter could try and get a good photo of Shadow and I posing in front of the beautifully snow-laden bushes. It is difficult to get a puppy to pose for a photo, but Peter managed to get Shadow’s attention and got four great photos. I will use the photos in a holiday postcard, so thanks to Peter for doing this for me.
When I got home, two technicians from RISE Engineering arrived to check the flue system for the water heater in the basement, and once again it failed the test. The off-gassing was much less after having the heating and plumbing guy clean out the flue system. But the natural gas company, National Grid, cannot do the insulation work on the cottage as long as there is any off gassing. The technicians today suggested I get a second opinion from another heating and plumbing source before deciding exactly what should be done. But they did assure me that there is really no threat from the amount of off gassing that is currently happening. So if nothing is done there is no physical harm but energy will continue to be wasted and I’ll continue to pay higher bills for natural gas each month. After the technicians left, I spent some time sitting on the sofa with Shadow beside me while I booked a flight to Florida in January to visit with Mike and Linda Stuart, my biking friends, and Mark’s family. I think I have mentioned that Mike and Linda are taking a four- or five-month break from their biking around the world adventure to visit with family here in the US. They flew home from Thailand and I am not sure where they are going next. But in January they will be staying in Linda’s sister’s condo in Bonita Springs and by flying down for the long MLK weekend, I’ll be able to visit with them and with Mark’s family as well. And I have arranged the time gone, so that Heather and family will be with Shadow over the long weekend. So this trip is a win-win. After booking the flight, I took off again . . . this time to do a little Christmas shopping. There were some things I needed from Mashpee Commons and I needed to go to the supermarket. I then returned home to spend the evening with a puppy who had been left alone much too much for one day. I always feel guilty leaving him, but my hope is that absence makes the heart grow fonder. He is doing great and I’ll continue to try and balance my time away from home. This weekend he is going with me for his first road trip as we are going to visit with friends in New Hampshire.
