by Judy Handley | Apr 26, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 116: Shellfish Workshop, Computer Catch-up, Cooking
Date: Friday, April 26, 2019
Weather: Stormy; High 50, Low 44 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
We had some stormy weather today. Early on there was just rain, but then there were periods of wind with thunder. Then this evening, just before dark, we had a full-fledged thunder storm with driving rain. Heather took Jonah and Ollie on a Scout camp overnight and when that storm came, I envisioned them abandoning their tent and heading home in the van. But Jed emailed a little later to say they were snug and dry. So that is good. I spent my morning at a Shellfish Workshop sponsored by the Newcomers Shellfishing Group led by Peter Baranowski. He and Karen are two of the many community members that volunteer over 3,000 hours each year to help the Falmouth Marine & Environmental Services Department with their oyster, quahog, and bay scallop propagation programs.
It is quite an impressive volunteer group. Peter went in early to set-up, so I picked Karen up in the pouring rain. But by the time we got there, the rain had calmed down for a bit. I went to this same workshop last year, but I learned so many new things today. So ‘same’ is not always ‘same’.
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by Judy Handley | Apr 25, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 115: Not As I Planned
Date: Thursday, April 25, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 58, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today didn’t go as I planned, but it was a good day. I start each day with a few knee exercises. I have to admit that I am not being as aggressive as I was, but my knee seems to be doing fine despite that. I start going back to the gym on May 1st, so hopefully I’ll do better then. After the knee exercises, I checked my email and saw a message from Heather that changed the rest of my plans for the day. Once in a while, she sees a home for sale that has a ‘grandmother apartment’ and has enough bedrooms for all the Goldpebbles. When one of these homes comes along that is affordable, we often take a look. So I did an early morning drive-by and thought the house deserved a look. I emailed Heather and asked if she would like me to contact our realtor and she said yes. I sent an email and got an afternoon appointment to do the preliminary look. I refer to the realtor as ‘ours’ as she is. She sold Heather and Jed their current home and has shown them, and me separately, many homes in the past couple of years. I think about buying the cottage I am currently living in, but because it is in the flood zone, I hesitate because of the cost of flood insurance. So, like Heather, when something promising pops up, I take a look. We will pursue this particular house this weekend and see where it leads.
I did some food shopping on my first trip out this morning, came home and had lunch, did the house tour, and then I headed to the Goldstones. Jed picked Jonah and Ollie up from school and then I took Ollie to his violin lesson. Watching Ollie play the violin makes me feel so proud. I am definitely a doting grandmother, but he is really quite good after only a few lessons. And he is so very serious. Very much like his mother when she was his age. After the lesson, we headed home so Jed could leave for an EPA Superfund meeting across the bridge in New Bedford. I fixed dinner for the boys and stayed until Heather got home from her evening fundraising time on the air. So goes a day in the life.
by Judy Handley | Apr 24, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 114: Sunny and Warm
Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Warm; High 70, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
What a lovely day. It was sunny and warm with the high temperature reaching 70. Woohoo! For the most part, our high temps have been in the 40’s, 50’s, and only sometimes in the 60’s, even when places inland have been much warmer. That’s because we are on surrounded by water and that water temperature is chilly. That same water will warm up some by mid-summer, but it is what keeps us from needing air conditioning when those inland are burning hot. But for whatever reason, we had a delightfully warm day today.
I started my day by going to take Jonah and Ollie to school. They were ready to go half an hour early as they wanted to play tennis on the school courts before school started. So off we went. They had fun playing and then were off to school for the day. I drove to the feed and seed store close to here to return a bunch of asparagus roots that Heather could not use. I traded them for seed potatoes and came home to cut those and let them dry for the day before planting tomorrow. I also stopped at a local nursery and picked up a few pansies to plant in planters out by the drive-way. I then continued with my indoor gardening and got things like cucumbers, spaghetti squash, zucchini, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds planted
and I finished transplanting the tomato plants from small planters to larger ones. Hopefully the seeds I planted today will germinate quickly and the seedlings will be ready to plant outside by the end of May. I planted arugula, romaine lettuce, and tat soi (an Asian green) seeds outside in the raised beds. This required a quick trip to the hardware store to get some additional organic garden soil. And I went for a nice long walk. It was a delightful day.
by Judy Handley | Apr 23, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 113: Indoor Gardening Day
Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Weather: Overcast with a Little Sunshine Late Day; High 54, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
This overcast, cool spring weather just doesn’t motivate me to work on gardening outside. Even if it did, it is too soon to plant much. So, I turned my attention to indoor gardening today. It is time to plant seeds for those things that can planted outside the end of May. I also worked on transplanting peppers and tomatoes seedlings from small pots to larger pots. I have more to do tomorrow, but I got a good start. Then mid-afternoon, I went to pick Jonah and Ollie up from school as I do every Tuesday. Heather was in Boston all afternoon and evening, so Jed had to pick Sam up from his drum lesson in Woods Hole after school before heading home. When they got home, I elicited Sam’s help in getting a new net on one of the soccer goals before I headed home. I fixed a veggie curry and chicken tiki masala for dinner, and just as I was finishing up I got a Skype call from Sam. He has an iPhone but he is not allowed to use it for phone calls. He can make Skype calls. He knows I have Skype on my phone, but Jed doesn’t. So when he realized it was near the end of his Scout meeting and suddenly realized the people he thought were taking him home had left early, he Skyped me immediately to come pick him up or to contact Jed to have him come. It was time for Jonah and Ollie to be going to bed, so I said I would come. Unfortunately, his Scout meetings are in North Falmouth which is almost 15 minutes from here. I got there 5 minutes late, but people were still there, so no problem. Tomorrow I’ll start my day by heading over to Heather and Jed’s to take Ollie and Jonah to school. It is spring fund-raising time for public radio stations, and unfortunately, Heather has the 6 to 9 am shift tomorrow morning and Jed has a 9 am meeting. So, I will gladly go take J & O to school and then come home and continue my indoor gardening. And if the weather forecast is correct, we might get some sunshine and warmth. In that case, I might plant a few things outside as well.
by Judy Handley | Apr 22, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 112: It’s Earth Day
Date: Monday, April 22, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High 53, Low 45 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was the 49th anniversary of Earth Day, the first Earth Day being observed on April 22, 1970. This year’s theme is ‘Protect Our Species’. The aim is to draw attention to the rapid extinction of species across the world. This rapid extinction is directly linked to human activity that contributes to climate change and one of those activities is the use of plastics. So I have made a commitment to stop buying single-use plastic, meaning plastic that you use once and throw away or recycle. And on this very day, I already broke my commitment. I was at a movie with friends and was very thirsty. I had forgotten to bring my water bottle, so I bought a bottle of water. Plastic water bottles are one of the worst offenders of single-use plastic. I am very aware of my actions and their impact on the environment, but even I screwed up on this special day. So, I need your help. I ask you to join me in this commitment. No more single-use plastic, especially no plastic water bottles. Buy multiple glass or stainless-steel water bottles and keep one with you all the time. I keep one in my car, but I was not the driver today. So, lesson learned. I need to keep a small stainless-steel water bottle in my purse. Avoiding single-use plastic is not easy, but we can do it if we support each other . . . together!
It was another overcast, rainy day—a great day for going to an afternoon film. The Cape Cinema is about a 45-minute drive, so friends Olivia White, Karen Baranowski, Jane Woodin, and I piled into Karen’s car and she drove us to Dennis in the Mid-Cape area. The Cape Cinema is a delightful venue—was built to look like a church on the outside that has an Art-Deco interior. Films and other performances that won’t draw audiences into regular theaters are hosted at Cape Cinema. Today’s film was Rembrandt, an Exhibition on Screen film. It was like touring two of the foremost art museums in the world with expert guides telling us all about the art and the man behind the art. Great way to learn about art and the artists.
by Judy Handley | Apr 21, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 111: ‘Hoppy’ Easter
Date: Sunday, April 21, 2019
Weather: Overcast with a Bit of Sun Late Day; High 61, Low 47 degrees F b
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
For those of you who observe Easter, I hope you had a ‘hoppy’ day with family or friends.
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It was bursting with new plant life. And the daffodils and hyacinths in front of the house added to feeling of spring despite the overcast day.
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Not being able to be together with the whole family on holidays is hard for me, so I am so grateful for Skype video calls. And speaking of being grateful, at dinner tonight I made a comment about something that was said at the Newcomers ‘For Your Health’ group that I attended last week. Sam turned to me and said, “You really belong to a lot of groups.” And that made me smile. Joining the Falmouth Newcomers Club after Mark died was a really positive decision in my life. And two years later, I do belong to a lot of Newcomers sub-groups—my wonderful Dining-in Group, For Your Health, Technology Tips, Women in Newcomers, the Singles Group, the Teachers’ Field Trip Group, the Shellfishers, and Biking. And I’m thinking of joining a walking group. So on this holiday weekend when I am missing family members that live afar, I just want to say how grateful I am to be a part of such a vibrant community of friends made through Newcomers.
