by Judy Handley | Feb 7, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 38: Success
Date: Thursday, February 7, 2019
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High 42, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I’m sure you have an endless list of things that need to be done, just as I do. And just like me, I’m pretty sure you rarely get to cross something off that list. But today I was able to do that. When I moved here in late April, the contents of all of my file drawers got jumbled and nothing has been filed since. So, there was a huge stack of papers to file. I went to the gym this morning and came home determined to get all those files reordered. I did it. And then I got that huge stack of papers all filed away. Success! And just when I needed a break mid-afternoon, friend Karen Baranowski stopped by to say hello. We enjoyed a cup of tea and great conversation which gave me just the break I needed to catch my breath and go back to finishing the job when she left. Thanks, Karen.
by Judy Handley | Feb 6, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 37: T-Boned (sort of)
Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Weather: Sunny, Cooling Down; High 46, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today I got t-boned . . . and I’m not talking about a steak. I pulled into the drive-way between Dunkin’ Donuts and the gym I go to, slowed down to pull into a parking spot to my right and was naturally looking in that direction. Then I saw something moving to my left, and before I could react, a van that was backing out of a Dunkin’ parking space was inches from my driver’s side door. I laid on the horn, to no avail, and watched in horror as the van just kept coming. No one was hurt and the van didn’t have a scratch. But my driver’s side door was quite caved in. The door still works, but it will be getting repaired starting on Friday. I called the police to see what you are supposed to do in a case like this and they sent an officer who gave the other gentleman a verbal warning about being more careful when backing out of a parking spot. He had us exchange information, said to contact our insurance companies, and that was that. I went to the gym to do my daily biking stint and then came home and spent a bit of time making the claim. If memory serves me right, this is the first accident I’ve had since I was 16, and I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to make the claim. But my insurance has a clause that releases me from any deductible if I am not at fault. And, according to the insurance agent, if you are backed into, it is automatically the other driver’s fault. So hopefully she’s right and this all works out.
Otherwise, this was a calm day. I had an appointment with my primary care physician this morning to get his release so I can have knee surgery. Since I had a full physical in August, he really didn’t have to do anything today. Instead, we talked about politics. He brought up last night’s State of the Union which led to an interesting conversation. I then had a mid-day appointment at home with a realtor. Shirley, the woman who owns the cottage, had a realtor come assess the property in case she decides to sell it. I precipitated this during a visit to Shirley last week by asking if she would be interested in selling. I love living here and might be interested in buying. The hesitation is that the house is in the flood zone which requires expensive flood insurance that I might not be able to afford. So, this is just an exploration. We’ll see where it leads.
by Judy Handley | Feb 5, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 36: The Beautiful Sea of White
Date: Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Weather: Sunny, Another Spring-like Day; High 55, Low 30 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
As many of you, I watched the State of the Union address tonight. The beautiful sea of white created by the women in the Democratic House all wearing white was so impressive. Some days I feel like our government is a sinking ship, but I have hope that this new infusion of women in the House of Representatives can help to right that ship. Not an easy job, but this new infusion of strength and vision should help.
If the weather forecasters are correct, today was the last of our spring-like weather for a bit. But it was great while it lasted. I spent the afternoon at the Goldstones as it was an Early Release Day at school. Jonah and Ollie spent the afternoon enjoying the warm weather outside. Unfortunately, Sam has a cold and wasn’t feeling up to par, so he spent his time inside. Inside or out, it is always a joy to be with the Goldpebbles, but they didn’t really need my attention today. So I took advantage of the laundry facilities. I got to have fun with the boys and come home with clean clothes and sheets. Good deal!
by Judy Handley | Feb 4, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 35: Feels a Bit Like Spring
Date: Monday, February 4, 2019
Weather: Partly Sunny, Feels Like Spring; High 51, Low 35 degrees F
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today felt a bit like spring. I know this is just a cruel joke Mother Nature is playing on us, but I’ll take it. A warm day or two in the middle of winter is welcome in my world anytime. The warmth today did motivate me to start thinking about spring gardening. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, it is actually time to start pepper and tomato seedlings indoors. And by the end of February, there is a longer list of seeds to plant. So it is time to gear up for spring, and then brace ourselves for the winter yet to come.
Not sure what I accomplished today, but I did get to the gym to use the stationary bike. I am increasing the amount of time slowly and will also start increasing the resistance. But this knee of mine requires that I do this very slowly. Tomorrow is an Early Release Day for the Goldpebbles, so I will be picking them just after noon and spending the afternoon with them.
by Judy Handley | Feb 3, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 34: Super Bowl LIII
Date: Sunday, February 3, 2019
Weather: Partly Sunny, Continuing to Warm Up; High 39, Low 35 degrees F (in Nyack)
Location: Back Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
They did it again! I got home late in the afternoon from New York and headed to the Goldstones to watch the Super Bowl. Heather and Jed had invited neighbors that have two boys, so we had five boys 13 and under.
Maybe it wasn’t the most exciting football game I’ve ever watched, but when you live in Massachusetts, there is a special pride when the New England Patriots win yet another Super Bowl. They are proof of the success team work can bring. Go Patriots!!! And when I got home from New York late this afternoon, I saw that Punxsutawney Phil failed to see his shadow yesterday. Do you really think we can win the Super Bowl and have an early spring?
by Judy Handley | Feb 2, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 33: In Memory of Ed
Date: Saturday, February 2, 2019
Weather: Sunny and Warmer; High 30, Low 25 degrees F (in Nyack)
Location: At Home with Lynne Kirwin, Nyack, NY
This morning I drove from the Cape to Nyack, New York, to attend the memorial service for Ed Kirwin. Mark and I got to know Ed and Lynne as we sailed across the Indian Ocean together. We met in Malaysia and spent time together in Thailand before taking off for our Indian Ocean adventure. Ed and Lynne’s boat, Constance, and our Windbird were so perfectly matched in terms of speed that we couldn’t lose each other if we tried! Just as our boats became ‘buddies’, so did we. We sailed to India for a six week stay, down to the Maldives, on to Chagos where we spent two months, then to Madagascar for four months, and finally on to South Africa. The words people used today when talking about Ed at the memorial service described him as we all knew him—always a smile, always a gentleman, always kind, caring, and supportive. He loved to share his stories of the 17 years that he and Lynne spent sailing around the world and used those story telling opportunities to help people see the beauty in people around the world. When Ed found out he had cancer in the spring of 2015, he and Lynne left Constance on land in southern Georgia and moved to Nyack, New York, close to family and new friends they would make. Lynne starting volunteering with the Soup Angels at a local church who serve two meals a week to the homeless and needy. Ed helped out when he could, especially at the street fairs where he was very effective in getting donations to fund the Soup Angels. He and Lynne volunteered at the local library, sorting books for the annual book sale. They became an integral part of the community and Lynne wanted to have Ed’s memorial in the church community room where the Soup Angel’s serve the homeless. The Soup Angel volunteers offered to host and it was a beautiful affair in just the right atmosphere to honor Ed’s life. The large room was the perfect size for those who gathered and was artfully decorated by the Soup Angels and the tables were laden with all sorts of yummy nibbles. There were photos of Ed, and family and friends spoke about the goodness Ed brought to this world. As people mingled and talked, Ed’s favorite music played in the background, and as if perfectly cued by Ed, his very favorite came near the end of the afternoon. The song was “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli. Lynne had held up so beautifully all afternoon, but this song that Ed had requested brought a few tears. Ed’s gentle presence in the world will be sorely missed by all of us. Later in the evening, Lynne took all of the family members and a few friends out to dinner. It was a huge group and we ate, drank, and mingled all evening. I especially enjoyed getting to know Lynne’s nephew, Jeremy, who flew in from Michigan.
Lynne will have a gathering there in warmer weather, but Jeremy felt especially close to his Uncle Ed and came to represent Lynne’s family. The entire day and evening was a perfect celebration of the life of Edward John Kirwin.
