by Judy Handley | Nov 10, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 314: Meeting the Puppies
Date: Sunday, November 10, 2019
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 57, Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was ‘meet the puppies’ day. Heather, Sam, Jonah, Ollie, and I took off, all excited, to meet Snickerdoodles and his litter mates. But the meeting did not go as expected. The Touchstone kennel, breeders of Australian Labradoodles, is about 20 minutes from here. The breeder is named Sonja and she met us at the door and then brought Snickernoodles to meet us. Snickerdoodles is the name we had given to the puppy I had chosen online, a male parti, part chocolate and part white. Sonja had warned me that he might be shy with so many people, and that he was. She brought one of her Australian Cobberdog puppies out with him to help break the ice, but it didn’t help. Snickerdoodles also looked very small and as she brought out his litter mates, one by one, it became painfully evident that he was by far the smallest and shyest, but also sooooooo cute. 
He mostly hid behind my legs while we played with the other puppies and one little female litter mate became the life of the party. We immediately started calling her Partigirl. She is also a parti, part white and part black, cute as button with a bubbly personality . . . but maybe too bubbly for Jonah and Ollie. They like the calmer pups.
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But Sam fell head over heels for her while Ollie and Jonah stayed true to Snickerdoodles. Ugh. I had wanted this to be a special occasion for the boys, especially for Ollie who has wanted a puppy since he was old enough to talk.
But it didn’t end up that way. What a dilemma. We had come to meet the one pup I had chosen, Snickerdoodles, but in doing so, we discovered that he has issues we were not aware of beforehand. Now I have to decide if I really want Snickers, or if I want to choose another pup from the litter, or if I want to wait for another litter that might have the just right puppy. Snickers is too shy, Partigirl might be too rambunctious, but there is a third puppy, a little black male, that might be just right.
After the visit, I got a message from my friend Detta Porat in New Hampshire. She wanted to know how the visit went. I texted back the dilemma and then she called me with a wealth of information on choosing a pup. Her daughter Sarah got a Golden Retriever a couple of years ago and then Detta and Tom got one. She has had first-hand experience with a shy dog and her advice is to avoid it if possible as sometimes shy pups are picked on by other dogs. Plus, according to my research, they can get aggressive if other dogs or people wander into their space. Detta had so much information to share and she has crates and a puppy play pen I can use. And just talking through the situation with her made me feel so much better. Still there is so much to think about. I will sleep on this and go back to give the little black male a closer look. He was Heather’s favorite and the second favorite for all of the boys. So maybe he is ‘just right’. More research into shy puppies, a second meeting with the little black male, and then the decision.
by Judy Handley | Nov 9, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 313: Potty Training
Date: Saturday, November 9, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 43, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Getting a puppy is exciting, but it has reduced my free reading time to reading about potty training a puppy. I spent all morning reading the guide for an online class I am taking on this topic and tonight I am back at it again. Interesting life I lead.
I spent my afternoon at Heather’s working in the basement. Ollie joined me this afternoon to help remove some bulky wooden shelves with a rubber mallet and a crow bar. He was an amazing helper. Actually, he did most of the work, so I guess I was the helper. We accomplished our task and had a great time doing it. He is one of the best little workers I have ever seen. He stays on task, thinks of better ways to accomplish the task, makes sure he cleans up afterwards, and never complains about being asked to do more. And in addition to being a great co-worker, he invited me to dinner. I knew he and Heather were having a special night together as Jonah and Sam are both staying over with friends. Ollie had requested artichokes for dinner and luckily for me, Heather had thought ahead and bought artichokes for the three of us.
Tomorrow is the big day when we get to go meet the puppy. We have decided to name him Sir Snickerdoodles, King of The Cottage. And I am sure that he will be. We think we will call him Snickers or maybe Nick. We’ll decide what suits him, once we meet him tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Nov 8, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 312: Field Trip to Edward Gorey House
Date: Friday, November 8, 2019
Weather: Sunny, Windy, Cold; High 49, Low 25 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
At 8 Strawberry Lane on the Yarmouthport Common is a 200 year-old sea captain’s home. It was purchased in 1979 by eccentric American author, illustrator, playwright, and set and costume designer, Edward Gorey.He was known for his “arch humor and gothic sensibility” and lived and worked out of the house in Yarmouthport until his death in 2000. After his death, the house became a museum that is dedicated to sharing Gorey’s life and work with the public. And today the Newcomer’s Teacher Group toured the home. I have to admit that I had never heard of Edward Gorey, but when I went to pick up Sam this morning and take him to his before-school Environmental Club meeting, I got a complete overview. When I told Sam where I was going today, he beamed and started telling me everything he knew about Gorey and his work. And he knew a lot. His art class studied Gorey at the beginning of the school year and after a great deal of detail, Sam summarized by saying, “Basically, his work was ‘gorey’. No pun intended.” Sam also told me that Gorey’s illustration were all black and white drawings, 
that his writing was nonsensical, that he was a man of habit that ate the same thing at the same restaurant every day, and that he had at least 17 cats. Sam also told me about Gorey’s alphabet book where 26 children meet their untimely deaths. He gave me a very concise and accurate pre-tour in the 10 minutes it took us to drive from home to school. Well done, Sam! But still, I was taken back a bit when at the start of the tour there were the legs of doll peaking out from under a rug.
That was George from The Gashlycrumb Tinies book. “G is for GEORGE smothered under the rug.” But then I realized why Sam was so taken with Gorey. The alphabet book appeals to middle school humor the way Dr. Seuss books appeal to very young children. Gorey was quite accomplished. 
He won a Tony Award for his Broadway production of Dracula, did the animated drawings that were used to introduce Masterpiece Theatre’s Mystery! series, and wrote more than a hundred books. After the tour, we had a great lunch at Oliver’s and Plank’s Tavern.
When I got home from the field trip, I went to work rearranging the small bedroom that Ollie claims to make room for a puppy play area. We are all going to meet the puppy on Sunday and and I think I will be bringing him home next weekend. Lots to do and learn to get ready! And as the temperature continued to plunge during the day, it reminded me that I needed to get the storm windows for the big windows in the living room in place. I went to the basement to get them, but came up empty handed. I can’t find them anywhere. Heather and boys came over to help me look, but they couldn’t find them either. Where or where did I put them? We gave up the search and went out to dinner. No cooking today!
by Judy Handley | Nov 7, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 311: Shopping Day
Date: Thursday, November 7, 2019
Weather: Overcast, Rain Late; High 64, Low 32 degrees F
Location: Back Home at The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
After I got the Pebbles off to school this morning, I headed off on a hunt and kill shopping trip. I wanted to get a few items from IKEA that I will need for the puppy, I wanted to check the New Balance Outlet which is almost next door to IKEA for a pair of sneakers for serious walks/hiking, and as long as I was in the neighborhood, I planned to stop by Costco. I did all of that and then I needed to get to a Trader Joe’s. I was in charge of dinner for the Goldpebbles tonight and they requested chicken nuggets from Trader Joe’s, the only ones they will eat. I Googled for a Trader Joe’s near me and found that if I drove home via Route 3, there was a Trader Joe’s about a mile from one of the exits just north of Plymouth in a town called Hanover. I got there, found the chicken nuggets, and found friend Jane Woodin who was also shopping there. At Costco, I had seen two other Falmouth friends. Lots of people must have had the same shopping idea for today. Missions accomplished, I headed home, did a few more garden jobs and then headed to Heather’s to relieve the after-school sitter and fix dinner. All three boys were totally cooperative on task both this morning and this evening. Sam and Ollie helped me find the shut-off valves in the basement for the outside faucets and they got the water shut off in anticipation of freezing weather. Tonight is supposed to reach 32 degrees F, but tomorrow night is supposed to dip into the 20’s. I think we are ready now.
Tomorrow I am going on a Newcomer’s Teacher Group field trip, but first I will head back to Heather’s to pick Sam up at 7 am and deliver him to school for an Environmental Club meeting. He is working on trying to get solar panels on the school. I am so proud of him for the way he is assuming leadership roles at school and in Scouts. Go, Sam!
by Judy Handley | Nov 6, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 310: Overnight at the Goldstones
Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 53, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home with Heather and the Goldpebbles, East Falmouth, MA
Tonight was a reversal. Usually the Goldpebbles spend the night with me, but tonight I am staying over at their house. Jed is in England and Heather has to leave the house just after 5 am tomorrow morning to be on the air for fundraising at 5:30 am. I told her only crazy people are up listening to the radio at that time of the morning! Rather than get up at 4:30 to come over here in the morning, I decided to just spend the night. Sam leaves for school at 6:55 am as he has Jazz Band before school tomorrow. Jonah leaves at 7:40 am, and then Ollie doesn’t have to leave until 8:50 am. I’ll be exhausted by 9 am.
I just finished writing this log and then hit some key that caused red squiggly lines to appear and no matter what I did I couldn’t get out of Word or save the log. I had to do a hard shutdown, and when I turned the computer back on, there was no sign of the log. Since I have to get up before 6am tomorrow morning, I am going to bed and will finish writing and sending this tomorrow morning.
Well, it is morning and everyone got off to school just fine. I finished canning my latest batch of chicken mineral broth this morning and now I am off for a day of shopping. Yesterday I spent time getting ready for cold weather.
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I haven’t been to a lesson since August, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much his playing has improved. I really love listening to him play violin and Sam and Jonah rock out on the drums and bass guitar. So much fun.
by Judy Handley | Nov 5, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 309: Good Day for a Movie
Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 67, Low 42 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Overcast and rainy sums up today’s weather and the weather made it a good day to go to a movie. I have wanted to go to see “Judy”, the film about the last months of Judy Garland’s life, but just had not made the time. I think this might be the last week it will be in local theaters, so I took advantage of the rainy afternoon to go. Not an uplifting story, but certainly worth watching. Renee Zellweger’s performance as Judy Garland was spectacular. Judy Garland was one of a kind and I really didn’t think anyone could capture her persona. But about half-way through the film, I honestly started believing I was really watching Judy Garland. Garland’s life story is tragic, but most of us will remember an innocent 16 year-old Judy Garland singing ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ in the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz.” Mark had two favorite singers, Emmylou Harris and . . . Judy Garland. I often wondered if it was due to Mark’s obsession with Judy Garland and her signature song that he was able to fulfil all of his life’s big dreams. “Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true . . . Birds fly over the rainbow, why then, of why can’t I?”
Otherwise, I spent my day researching the best way to train a puppy. The breeder uses the Avidog system, so I did a lot of reading about that today. It looks like I might get to meet the little guy on Saturday. I talked to my niece in Nashville today, a true dog lover, and told her I am getting a puppy. She immediately said I should name him Willie after Willie Nelson. Mark loved Judy Garland. I have always loved Willie Nelson. If you have a better suggestion for a name, let me know!
