by Judy Handley | Aug 24, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 236: Getting Stuff Done . . . Slowly
Date: Saturday, August 24, 2019
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 80, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The weather today was a repeat of yesterday with a cool morning turning into a delightful afternoon. I will say that either I am a wuss, or the mornings and evenings the past couple of days have been truly chilly. And for me that means wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Maybe it is the cooler weather that has put me into turtle mode. Or maybe I just enjoy working slowly. So not a ton is getting done, but slowly I am chipping away at that To Do list while enjoying my days. I spent my morning cooking and turning the tomatoes I processed yesterday into marinara sauce. Then I took the sauce to Heather’s to burble and pressure can. I keep my canner in her basement and the jars are also there, so it is easier to just go there. While the sauce burbled for a couple of hours, I launched into some organizational projects in the basement. And knowing I would be there for the afternoon, I took my fall and winter jackets with me to launder. I used Heather and Jed’s laundry facilities and paid them back by doing a little basement organization. Seems like a win-win situation. I still haven’t finished my drip irrigation installation, so that is on the top of the list for tomorrow. No excuses. It will be done!
by Judy Handley | Aug 23, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 235: Weather Flip Flop
Date: Friday, August 23, 2019
Weather: Overcast; High 80, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It has been hot and humid for the past few days, but yesterday afternoon those southerly winds switched to come from the north and almost instantly the humidity went away. By the time I woke up this morning, I was actually cold. What a weather flip flop! This morning was overcast and cool, but it warmed up in the afternoon. The forecast is for more days in the 70’s, but somehow those 70 degree days seem to end up in the 80’s. That’s fine with me as long as the humidly doesn’t rise.
I didn’t meet my goals for today, but I’m fine with that. I am into my “don’t worry, be happy” mode. When I set my goal of completing my drip irrigation system projects, I forgot that I had bought the first batch of tomatoes to make marinara sauce to can for the winter when I went to the Farmers Market yesterday. So, processing those tomatoes took my time. So glad is there is always tomorrow to finish those jobs on the To Do list.
by Judy Handley | Aug 22, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 234: Ditto Day
Date: Thursday, August 22, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 88, Low 65 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a slightly different version of yesterday, so I’ve called it “ditto” day. Yesterday started with a chiropractor appointment; today started with a primary care physician appointment. Yesterday I had coffee with a friend; today I had lunch with a friend. I continued my drip irrigation installation project. And it was another hot and humid day, but that did change mid-afternoon. The winds shifted to come from the north and blew in slightly cooler and less humid weather. I met Karen Baranowski in Mashpee Commons for lunch at the Trevi Café and Wine Bar. In giving me directions to Trevi, Karen used what she thought were commonly understood landmarks in the Commons. But ‘common’ to others is obviously not ‘common’ to me. She explained it was right next to the Trevi Fountain. I didn’t know where that was. Then she said it was next to the bookstore. Bookstore! I honestly didn’t know there was a bookstore in the Mashpee Commons. Then she said it was across from Talbot’s. I do know where Talbot’s is located as I shop there often. But how could I shop there and not notice the fountain, bookstore, and restaurant right across the street? I won’t try to answer that, but I learned a lot about the Mashpee Common shopping area today (only 10 minutes from my house) and had a delightful lunch with Karen. And I enjoyed the beauty of the fountain and visited the delightful little bookstore. As I walked in, I immediately saw a new book by Philippa Gregory. Love her historical fiction and just had to buy the new book, Tidelands.
The weather tomorrow looks iffy, but my bet is that we a little rain overnight and have a sunny day tomorrow. If that’s the case, I hope to finally complete the installation of the drip irrigation systems and at Heather and Jed’s. Can’t wait to turn on the water and see if it works. But if it turns out to be a rainy or dreary day, I certainly have enough indoor projects to keep me engaged.
by Judy Handley | Aug 21, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 233: Chiropractor and Coffee Date
Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Weather: Mix of Sun and Clouds with Sprinkles; High 88, Low 73 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a little more of the same with the addition of meeting up with Jane Woodin for coffee and conversation. I’ve hardly seen Bruce and Jane this summer, so today’s coffee date was a real treat. I met Jane after an assessment appointment with my chiropractor. I’ve been seeing him since June when I threw my back out. Today’s assessment showed that all is well now, so after an appointment in two weeks to go over today’s scan, I can take chiropractor appointments off my calendar for now. So that was good news. I continued working on drip irrigation installation and spent some time watering the patch of Heather and Jed’s front yard where I planted grass seed yesterday. We got some sprinkles today, but not enough to replace watering.
I just heard that Governor Jay Inslee, Democratic candidate for President and current Governor of the State of Washington, has withdrawn from the Democratic Primary. I mention this because I so admire Inslee’s dedication to the environment. He developed an action plan to combat climate change that is the state-of-the-art plan that needs to be adopted by whomever ends up being the Democratic candidate. I will miss his voice in the Democratic Primary standing up for progressive environmental standards, but he promised tonight to continue his fight against climate change. He has moved the needle for all of the other Democratic candidates in terms of their focus on the climate crisis and for that we should all be grateful. He will announce his future plans tomorrow and I’ll be tuned in.
by Judy Handley | Aug 20, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 232: Failed Dental Appointment
Date: Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 90, Low 67 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I never thought it was possible to ‘fail’ a dental appointment, but I managed to do that this morning. I totally forgot that after you have a knee replacement, you have to take a massive dose of an antibiotic before you show up to have your teeth cleaned. I have the antibiotic, but at no point in my prep for the appointment did I remember that I needed to take it. I won’t forget again. I have to wait an entire month for another appointment. But there was some success. In addition to a cleaning, I was scheduled for x-rays and an appointment with the dentist to review the x-rays and I as allowed to do those things. The good news is that my teeth look healthy. It was almost noon by the time I left the dentist’s office. My next stop was Heather and Jed’s. I looked at the front yard last week and realized that soccer playing had depleted the grass. So, I took advantage of the absence of soccer players to plant some grass. Sure hope it grows quickly! I also did some other gardening. 
Then, in the late afternoon, I attended a gathering of the Newcomers Singles Group at an outside bar and restaurant venue on the Falmouth Harbor. I had never been to the Boathouse before, and it was the perfect place for a summer outdoor get-together. Lots of members of the group were there and we caught up on summer activities. As I sat there drinking a beer, I noticed an osprey nest on the top of the next-door boat storage shed. It appeared that the nest took precedence over a boat storage space, possibly making that osprey nest the most expensive osprey real estate in Falmouth.
by Judy Handley | Aug 19, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 231: Transition Time
Date: Monday, August 19, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 88, Low 68 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
This is a week of transition for me . . . from Camp Oma with grandkids five days a week to “Life Oma” without the grandkids. And, oh my, how much I miss them. During the summer months, I focus exclusively on caring for the Goldpebbles, but now I transition back to caring for myself. Today I had an orthopedic appointment to assess the condition of my right knee (the one not replaced in February). Tomorrow I have a dental appointment for cleaning and x-rays. On Wednesday I have a chiropractic assessment. And on Thursday I have an appointment with my primary care physician to assess a possible reflux issue. The result of today’s appointment was a little worse than I expected. Before I had my left knee replacement, I thought my right knee was fine. But as my knee replacement healed and my left knee became stronger and stronger, I realized that my right knee had issues. The bad news is that the x-rays today showed that my right knee is bone on bone and is well beyond need of replacement. The good news is that because it is not painful and not interfering with life-style, I can hold off surgery for a year or two. In between other medical appointments this week, I will continue my drip irrigation installation in my raised beds and in the raised beds at Heather’s. And I will continue the basement clean-out project, both in my basement and at Heather’s as I still have things stored there that need to be dealt with. There is certainly no lack of things to do. But I am committed to working at a relaxed pace. I won’t get as much done, but I’ll enjoy doing it more.
I checked the mail at Heather’s late morning and found the teacher placement letter for Ollie. His teacher this year will be Katie Karl, the mother of his best friend Raylan. I called Maine to let him know and I am sure it was a bitter-sweet moment for him. He loves Mrs. Karl, but he immediately realized that having her as his teacher probably means that Raylan will not be in his class. Jonah’s letter should arrive tomorrow, so I’ll be texting Heather with that information as they will be at the Union Fair tomorrow. Jonah’s best friend Luke got his letter today, so I know Jonah is anxious to find out if he will be with Luke.
