by Judy Handley | Feb 19, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 50: ‘Girls’ Night Out
Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Cold; High 33, Low 18 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was a gorgeous day ending with a great ‘girls’ night out. When all of the females in a group are 70 or older, I don’t suppose I should refer to them as girls. And that was emphasized when we got to the restaurant for dinner and decisions on seating were made based which ear you hear better out of. The reason for the outing was to celebrate Midge Frieswyk’s birthday and she was the one that pointed out that there was a time when you chose where you were going to sit to have a clearer view of the good-looking guys at the bar, not based on your hearing disability. That comment brought more than one chuckle! But once we settled on our seating positions, we had a lovely birthday dinner in a colonial setting in the Scargo Café.
This dining venue was chosen because it is just across the street from the Cape Cinema where we were going for a 7 pm showing of an independent film about Pablo Picasso in his youth. The Cape Cinema in in Dennis, which is about a 45-minute drive. That’s further than we like to go for evening celebrations, but just going to sit in this art deco theater is a special treat. The Cape Cinema was founded in 1930 and the exterior was modeled after a Congregational church. The theater interior has individual arm chairs upholstered in tangerine-colored suede and a 6,400 square foot mural covers the ceiling representing the heavens. The theater specializes in independent American and international films and is a Cape Cod treasure. Great evening. Happy Birthday, Midge.
by Judy Handley | Feb 18, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 49: A Little Snow
Date: Monday, February 18, 2019
Weather: Snow and Icy Mist, Mostly Cloudy; High 37, Low 17 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
For the second time in a week, it snowed. We got a little snow overnight and into the morning, but then it turned into an icy mist. There is still some of today’s snow on the ground, but not enough for sledding. I have heard from Heather reporting that the boys are enjoying their time on a snowy mountain in Maine, so at least they have had a couple of days of winter fun. They return home tomorrow evening as Heather has to get back to work early on Wednesday. But the boys have the rest of this winter vacation week to enjoy. I have had three days with no appointments and no commitments, but things pick up again tomorrow. So, after three lovely, lazy days, it is time to get back into the fray. But that will end on Monday with my knee surgery. I visited with a friend this afternoon that had a knee replacement last week, and she reminded me that I will have many days without a whole lot of movement after the surgery. Lots of time to read and recover.
by Judy Handley | Feb 17, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 48: Another Beautiful Day
Date: Sunday, February 17, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Cooler; High 36, Low 27 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It felt a little more like winter today, but with that sun shining most of the day it felt warmer than it was. I basically had a repeat of yesterday with exercise, guinea pig feeding at the Goldstones, biking at the gym, and more grocery shopping. I added a trip to the pet store for fish and guinea pig food and some basic house cleaning. It looks like we are going to have two or three more days with high temps in the 30’s, then it will go back to the 40’s. I think most people around here are waiting for the winter weather shoe to drop sometime in March. But I’ll just enjoy the mild weather we are having for now.
by Judy Handley | Feb 16, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 47: Saturday My Way
Date: Saturday, February 16, 2019
Weather: Beautiful Day; High 43, Low 23 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a beautiful, low-key day. The sun was shining, it was warm enough that coats were not necessary, and I had nothing that I had to do other than feed the Goldstone’s guinea pigs. It was a Saturday ‘my way’. Although everyone who knows me would never think a low-key day would be my kind of day, I actually relish those rare days. I normally live a pretty fast-paced life, but days like today give me a chance to focus on the glories of the simple things in life. I got up, did my morning exercises, and communed with the baby fish in my aquarium while feeding them. Then I headed to the gym to ride the stationary bike while listening to music choices chosen by Sam and Jonah. I love listening to their music as it makes me feel closer to them and is reintroducing me to music. I did some food shopping, and then finalized the sale of the dinghy, motor, and trailer that I bought for Heather and Jed in 2017. Since we have never used it, we decided that selling it to someone who will really use it was the right thing to do. And it will still be in the ‘family’ as I sold it to Sam Patterson who sails with Bruce and Jane Wooden. So, by mid-day, I had made a little money and exercised and bought food to keep me healthy. All good things. I spent my afternoon buying seeds and organic potting soil to get my indoor garden started, came home and continued working to get the grow lights installed in the shelves that will be my indoor greenhouse, and then had a nice visit with Karen and Peter Baranowski who dropped by. I went to Heather and Jed’s to feed the guinea pigs and then came home and did some cooking while watching the Grammy Awards. I know. The Grammy’s were on last Sunday, but I recorded the program and watched it tonight. In the late 1980’s, my niece Lynn came to visit and made the pronouncement that I had absolutely no pop culture knowledge. She was right then, and it is still true today. But when she called me last Sunday to tell me the Grammy’s were on, I did at least record the program and then watched tonight to catch up on my pop culture knowledge. I knew the name Alicia Keys, but really didn’t know who she was. Watching her emcee the Grammy’s gave me a chance to get know more about her . . . so talented. And I was blown away by the voice of Brandi Carlile. Thanks to my niece for persisting in the challenge of getting me to expand my pop culture knowledge.
by Judy Handley | Feb 15, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 46: Gearing Up for Knee Surgery
Date: Friday, February 15, 2019
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Afternoon Rain; High 53, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I headed to Hyannis this morning for my pre-op appointments at the hospital where my knee surgery will take place on Monday, February 25. Then I drove down the street to meet with my orthopedic surgeon’s assistant to get his final approval for the surgery. Now I’ve met with all the players and will just wait another seven days for knee replacement day. Since my knee gets worse every day, all of a sudden I can’t wait for this surgery that I never wanted to have. I am ready! In addition to finishing up the required pre-op appointments and tests, I was also able to pick up my little Honda Fit. She now has a new front door and looks like new. I was very excited to have my little car back, but when I picked Ollie and Jonah up from school this afternoon, they were disappointed that I no longer had the rental car. The rental was a Nissan Altima, and in terms of comfort and electronic gadgets, it was far ahead of my bare-bones Fit. The boys loved the cushy seats in the Altima and the little screen that lets you see behind you when backing up. And they loved that the car started by pushing a button, not with a key. I don’t even have a remote ‘clicker’ to unlock the doors on my Fit since I lost it in a field searching for milkweed for the Monarchs last fall. Maybe it is time that I order a new one, but they are not cheap. It costs almost $300 for a new remote ‘clicker’ for a Honda Fit.
It will be lonely around here for the next few days. Next week is winter vacation week in the schools here, so Heather and gang are headed to a family ski resort in Maine so the boys can have a couple of days of snowboard and ski lessons. Heather has to be back at work early Wednesday morning, so their time is limited. This afternoon all three boys were very excited about the trip north and will enjoy what time they have to learn new skills of negotiating a snowy mountain on skis and snowboards. Have fun, Goldpebbles (and Heather and Jed)!
by Judy Handley | Feb 14, 2019 | Cape Cod, USA |
2019 Life Logs, Day 45: Happy Valentine’s Day
Date: Thursday, February 14, 2019
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 42, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Here’s hoping you had a very Happy Valentine’s Day. I started my day by attending a Newcomer’s General Meeting. The program today addressed end-of-life issues that are so confusing and so important for all of us to understand. In addition to a very interesting program, it was great to see other friends. When I got out of the meeting, I saw that Justin had called me, so when I got home I returned the call. He had some business-related questions and when those were answered, he shared that he had to run as he and Jo had a mid-afternoon ‘date’ on the beach with another couple. Jo’s parents are visiting and they offered to kidsit while Justin and Jo enjoyed a special Valentine’s Day time together. Then I spent part of my afternoon preparing food for tonight’s dinner at the Goldstones. Heather and Jonah came up with the idea of having chocolate fondue for dessert for a Valentine’s Day dinner, and then Jonah suggested we have cheese fondue as the main dinner.
So, we had a fondue feast.
I offered to prepare the fruits, veggies, and meat, and get all of the ingredients together for chocolate and cheese fondue. Heather baked bread and cake for dipping in the chocolate, so when I arrived we just had to mix the ingredients, first for the cheese fondue feast, and then for the chocolate fondue feast. We had a rainbow of vegetables, with meat and bread for dipping in the cheese fondue. And then another rainbow of fruit for dipping in the chocolate.
It was a delicious way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. And after eating all of the chocolate, the boys had added energy and put on a bit of a play starring Ollie as King. He loves playing that role! 
