by Judy Handley | Jun 25, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 176: Adding Bubbles to a Rainy Day
Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 73, Low 63 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today we managed to add a few bubbles to this rainy day. For years, no bar of hand soap has survived the Goldpebbles. One of them or all of them, not sure which, finds a way to destroy any bar of hand soap by poking holes in it, so Heather decided a couple of days ago that we should start making our own liquid hand soap. Thus, no bar to destroy. Instead, today I gave each boy a bar of soap to destroy by grating it like parmesan cheese. Then we added boiling water and glycerin, mixed it, microwaved it, and finally used a mixer to beat it which produced the bubbles. We’re letting it set overnight and if it is the right consistency tomorrow morning, we will pour it into pint canning jars and put on the dispenser lids that Heather ordered from Amazon. The reason we are doing it this way is to keep from buying liquid soap in plastic containers. We buy unpackaged hand soap at Whole Foods and can buy the glycerin in a gallon container that will last for ten years’ worth of liquid soap making, thus reducing our use of single use plastic containers. I’ll report in tomorrow night on the success, or lack of success, of this experiment. The other major activity today was watching yet another Women’s World Cup soccer match. Today we watched Italy versus China. The boys were cheering for Italy and they won the game. Then near the end of the day, we watched the last twenty of the Netherlands versus China game. The team from the Netherlands won and will play England on Thursday. Then on Friday, the US team will play France. Jonah is excited to see that game as his good friend Luke will actually be at the game in Paris with his mom. Lucky little boy! We have one more week of World Cup soccer games and are hoping the US team will reign supreme. Tomorrow we switch from soccer to baseball. It is Jonah’s tenth birthday and he is very excited that he gets to throw the first pitch in the Falmouth Commodores game tomorrow evening. And it is supposed to be a sunny day. Life is good.
by Judy Handley | Jun 24, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 175: Women’s World Cup Soccer Spain vs US
Date: Monday, June 24, 2019
Weather: Another Beautiful Day; High 84, Low 60 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
In the summer of 2014, the Goldpebbles and I enjoyed the Women’s World Cup soccer matches. Now four years later, we are doing the same. Our Monday revolved around the game today between the US and Spain. The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) won their berth in the quarter finals today by winning the game. Spain came out on the field, fully fired up and ready to unseat the favored US team. It was a rough and tumble game, but the US team captain, Megan Rapinoe (ra-peen-o), won the day. She has nerves of steel, giving her complete composure in every situation, and is now my new sports hero. She has an athletic build, very short white hair (today tinted pink), and in no way looks like a super model. But in a pre-game piece, she was featured with a Paris designer and looked every bit like a model. Even the Goldpebbles were impressed. Other than watching the game today, the boys played soccer, did their daily routines, had a Nerf gun battle, and Ollie had a violin lesson. It was really warm today and I tried to get them to go to the beach with me after the soccer game, but that was nixed. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so we’ll plan some indoor activities.
by Judy Handley | Jun 23, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 174: Opportunities
Date: Sunday, June 23, 2019
Weather: Beautiful Day; High 83, Low 62 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a warm, beautiful day. I’m afraid to say it, for fear it will go away, but it finally feels like summer is here. My back is better today, but I decided to stay home and do nothing. And I really enjoyed my quiet day. I ended the day by being the lucky recipient of a Goldstone summer cookout which was delicious and I spent the rest of the day catching up with friends.
I talked to Lynne Kirwin who is recovering from a shoulder replacement and she is doing great. I caught up on the blog written by sailing friends Heather and Jon Turgeon and found they have sailed back from the Bahamas and are now in North Carolina working on building the interior of their ‘land cruiser’ that they will probably be driving north to Vermont for the summer. I met with Midge Frieswyk and her daughter Allyse who is planning a trip to Bali and shared my experiences there. And I read more of the adventures of my New Hampshire friends, Mike and Linda Stuart, who are biking around the world. They are currently in Australia and have made two trips out to the Great Barrier Reef (by boat, not by bike!!). The photos from the first trip last Thursday were amazing. Their second trip was also amazing, but it added an environmental education aspect that the first trip did not offer. I loved the photo Linda posted of little Nemos with the heading, “Please help save my home.” There were a number of marine biologists onboard and I have a feeling Linda kept them all busy the entire time with her questions. What she already knew, but had reinforced by every biologist on this trip, is that each of us really can make a difference, even from here, in saving the reef—the world’s largest coral reef system and one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. What follows is copied from Linda’s latest blog post. I do hope you take time to read every word and take advantage of some of the opportunities.
FROM LINDA’S BLOG POST:
For the rest of the blog I am going to talk about things I can personally do to help save the reef. I know sometimes it feels like it is a lost cause, I am only one person, what difference can my actions make? Alex gave me the perfect line that I am going to try to remember, and I am going to repeat too many times below to help me make it my new mantra. Before I tell you the mantra, first, let me ask you, do you know about how many people are on this planet? That’s right, 7.7 billion people and it is growing. When Mike was born in 1960 there were only about 3 billion people. So back to the mantra. One person can make a difference if we all work together collectively. The saying Alex told us all was, “It is only one water bottle, said 7 Billion People.” Yay, my mathematical mind went crazy. Think about this. If less than half of the population used just one less water bottle on just one day, that would be 3.5 billion less water bottles on the earth – in just one day. That is with only half of us doing our part. So, the mantra goes, “It is only (enter good environmental practice here) said 7 Billion People.” You can even round it up to 8 billion if you want, since we are closer to that number. My new mindset is that I, and you as well, now have ‘fragments of opportunity’ to help the reef and the planet as a whole. Below are the rest of the suggestions made by the biologists on the boat.
Opportunity A: (I know I have written this before, but since it was mentioned so many times today I feel I have to repeat it.) Reduce single use plastic straws, plastic bags, plastic water bottles, plastic spoons to sample ice cream, plastic shampoo bottles. Whenever you have an opportunity, take it. “It is only one plastic shampoo bottle, said 7 Billion People.”
Opportunity B, Part A: Be a more conscious shopper. Is there a product that uses less packaging? Do you have to buy new? Can you find a used, but still good product? (That made me think of my mom as she likes to get great deals at the Salvation Army. By buying used she is making better choices for the planet even though she has probably never even thought about it in that way).
Opportunity B, Part B: Be a more conscious shopper. Is there a product made from recycled materials or waste that you can use? Does the company have a strong environmental rating? Carli told me about some of her clothing being made from waste. I was like WHAT? She said, look up Oceanzen. So, I did, and they make fabric that supports the removal of marine debris from our oceans. Bikinis made of nylon waste such as recycled plastic bottles and fishing nets that have been recovered from our oceans and recycled into swimwear! By regenerating waste, this company is not only making it new again, but they are also saving a whole heap of precious, finite resources and energy whilst also reducing carbon emissions. OMG. I did not even know such a thing existed. “It is only one recycled bikini, said 7 Billion People.” Hahahaha.
Opportunity B, Part C: Be a more conscious shopper at the supermarket. How much packaging does the food have? How many greenhouse gas emissions are produced to raise and harvest and distribute this food? Is there a locally raised option available? This one I honestly have been working on a bit lately, as you probably know. I have started to notice, especially here at Coles, that they sell lots of veggies in $2 and $3 and $5 bags. Before I just thought, “Well that is convenient, just the amount I wanted and only for $2 bucks.” Now I go get that same veg, like string beans, and put them in the paper mushroom bags. I am also thinking about our meat consumption. I am not ready to give up meat, but I could do Meatless Mondays. “It is only one meatless meal, said 7 Billion People.” I asked Maryanne to explain why less meat helps the planet. She suggested I think of everything, when it comes to environmental practices that is, in terms of energy and carbon dioxide. Meat takes more energy and resources to produce food than plants do. Often pastures are created by cutting down trees, and then whatever is fed to the cow is grown using energy, wheat or grass or whatever, then the cow eats that and farts and emits methane which is a greenhouse gas emission, then there is lots of energy used to process the cow into edible pieces, and of course ship it all over the world for us to buy it. I am starting to be more and more convinced, so I need you all to send me some good meatless recipes that Mike will want to eat so I can go for not only Meatless Mondays but also Fabulous Food Fridays with no meat.
Opportunity C: Get out of your car once in a while. Take a walk, a bike ride, a bus ride, share a ride with a friend, or carpool. Use your energy to get where you need to go rather than fossil fuels. Not only will you save money, but fewer cars on the road means less carbon and pollution will be in the air. This will protect the environment by keeping the air, water, and land clean. “It is only one trip, said 7 Billion People.”
Opportunity D: Make your voices heard. Write letters to your government officials and vote. Here in Australia, and lately at home in the USA, coal is making a comeback, largely due to our governments approving or changing environmental laws. Mining and burning coal is driving global warming by causing waters to warm and become more acidic. This causes huge stress for corals, causing ‘mass bleaching’, and if conditions do not improve – they die. Remember, bleaching is the way a coral expels unhealthy algae and is a natural process in some coral but it is not natural to have larger sections of the reef all become bleached. Climate change is the big elephant in the room when you talk about a healthy reef and this is the biggest thing you can do . . . educate everyone, including your politicians. This should not be a party thing. We all live on the same planet. It is a people living on the planet thing, regardless of which party you like. Catastrophic climate change – fueled by burning coal and other fossil fuels – is the biggest threat to our Great Barrier Reef. In 2015, Sweden threw down the gauntlet with an ambitious goal: to eliminate fossil fuels from electricity generation by 2040 within its borders, and has ramped up investment in solar, wind, energy storage, smart grids, and clean transport. If Sweden can do it, so can we! Make America better than Sweden!
Opportunity E: Come see the Great Barrier Reef. Fall in love with it. Your love will hopefully inspire you so try to save it, and your visit will infuse some money into conservation efforts to preserve sections of it. You will want to share your photos with people and make them love it too. You will want people to take every opportunity they have to keep this resource, and the diversity of species, alive for everyone to experience. You will want to reexamine your habits so you can better choices. You will have one of the best days of your life. Win. Win. Win.
If you would like to check out Linda’s blog posts, click on the following and scroll to the bottom of the page for the latest post: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=tS&doc_id=13549&v=7Xh
by Judy Handley | Jun 22, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 173: Ollie Performs with the Sonnay Fiddlers at Arts Alive
Date: Saturday, June 22, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny Early, Late Day Thunderstorms; High 82, Low 58 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Finally, on this first full day of summer, it was warm enough to actually feel like summer. Hurray! I went over to work in garden at Heather and Jed’s for a bit this morning and while hoeing, I felt that twinge in my lower back that I never welcome. I know it means that my back is out of alignment. I have been exercising my knee, but I haven’t been as dutiful in doing the abdominal exercises necessary to keep my back in line. And that always leads to my back going out. I will get an appointment with the chiropractor as soon as possible, and just be super careful that I don’t completely throw my back out before then. By the time this happened, it was noon and time for everyone to head downtown. Jed had to drop Ollie and Heather off at the library for Ollie’s performance with the Sonnay Fiddler’s group at Arts Alive, but then he took Jonah to the pediatrician. He has had a place on his leg that looked a bit like a bug bite for a week or so, but this morning it was obvious that it had become infected. They called the pediatrician and got the call back just before leaving for downtown that she could see him right then. It was a little more serious than we had thought and he is now on both oral and topical antibiotics. But he and Jed did make it downtown for the performance. I had to go home to get out of my gardening clothes and then pick Sam up from a Boy Scout car wash before meeting up with everyone, but Sam and I made it as well. Arts Alive is a Falmouth festival celebrating the arts. There are a few tents on the library lawn, and different groups perform throughout the day and evening. Ollie still likes to have Heather on the stage when he performs which is fun for both of them. But he is quickly becoming more confident about performing in public. The fiddlers range in age from seven to seventy (or there about), with the majority of the fiddlers in the middle and high school range. Not all can play all of the songs, so they sit and watch and hop on stage to play when they know the song. The group is fun to listen to and, of course, I love watching and listening to Ollie play the fiddle. After the hour-long performance, we all headed to St. Barnabus for the traditional strawberry shortcake to kick off the summer properly. After some food shopping, I then headed home for a quiet evening. Hopefully my back will feel a bit better by morning, but I’ll skip the hoeing tomorrow!
by Judy Handley | Jun 21, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 172: Happy Birthday to Jo and Welcome Summer
Date: Friday, June 21, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High 67, Low 58 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Hello, Summer! But where are you? Around noon today it officially became summer, but we saw no sun today, or yesterday, or the day before. It has been rainy, cloudy, and cool for what seems like days, but the weather forecast starting tomorrow actually looks warmer. Maybe the advent of summer solstice really is going to issue in more summer-like weather for us. We shall see. This summer solstice was shared today with my daughter-in-law Jo as June 21 is her birthday. I heard from her late this afternoon and know that she had a delightful day at home with Justin, Ziggy, and Coco. And with the birthday money I sent her, they were going out to dinner at the Pool Bar tonight. The Pool Bar is a sushi bar with a swimming pool and it is one of my favorite places on the planet. Happy Birthday, Jo!
It was another laid-back Camp Oma Day. We did our daily chores, Jonah and Ollie did a music practice duel with one playing guitar alternating with the other playing violin. I was the judge and the duel ended in a tie, so we all celebrated with the boys playing Sam’s drums. Sam had a play date this afternoon, so he was not home for the music competition. Later in the afternoon, Jonah, Ollie, and I went downtown to the Guv Fuller field to throw a baseball in the rain. Next Wednesday is Jonah’s birthday and it also happens to be the WCAI night at the Falmouth Commodores baseball game. Since Heather works at WCAI, she was able to arrange for Jonah to throw the first pitch of the game that night and he wanted to practice on the field. I ducked into the dugout to get out of the rain as Jonah pitched and Ollie caught. It was actually a perfect way to end our first week of Camp Oma. We were a bit wet when we got home, but we had fun. Here’s hoping for sunnier weather next week.
by Judy Handley | Jun 20, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 171: Establishing Routines While Lazing About
Date: Thursday, June 20, 2019
Weather: Overcast; High 68, Low 62 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Day Three of Camp Oma 2019 was another laid-back day. The weather continues to be overcast and misty, so it has been the perfect week to just laze about. But at the same time, we are establishing routines for the summer. We have set up a checklist of ‘must do’s’ and the boys are doing a great job of checking off each task each day. They have been doing a lot of reading, playing soccer in the front yard when the weather permits, and watching the Women’s World Cup soccer games from 3-5 each afternoon. Today Ollie had a playdate with his friend Raylan from early morning until 2:30 this afternoon, but he made in home in time to watch the USA versus Sweden game. While the boys are lazing about, I’m taking advantage of the time to do some house and garden chores. I know the activity level is going to speed up as we get further into the summer, but for now, I am really enjoying the lazy days with the Goldpebbles.
