by Judy Handley | Jan 20, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 20: Go, Patriots!
Date: Sunday, January 20, 2019
Weather: Rain, Rain, Rain; High 52, Low 7 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Normally the weather today would have been mentioned in the title of this log as the ‘highlight’ of the day, but the Patriots win over the Kansas City Chiefs topped even the very strange weather. The buzz here was that the Chiefs would definitely win the game, but the Patriots persisted and in overtime won the AFC Championship and their place in Super Bowl LIII. I was kidsitting last night so Heather and Jed could go out to dinner and the boys and I made the executive decision to watch the whole game (not just the first half as instructed). And it was a good decision, as we all had a great time. As the game began, Sam and I declared that we thought the Patriots would win even though that was not what most people were saying. Jonah made no projection. He just put his energy into directing every Patriot play
and Ollie spent a great deal of time drawing a Patriot logo and then making a sign he held throughout the game.
Go, Patriots! Sam also made a couple of creative signs. He made one that said OF-then a drawing of a picket fence and one that that said DE-and a drawing of a fence. He had great fun holding those up during the game.
Near the end of the game when the Patriots had to make a touchdown to stay in the game, Sam and I literally had to leave the room as we just could no longer stand to watch if they didn’t score. But as soon as we left the room, the Patriots scored. When the game went in to overtime, it was well past bedtime for little boys, but there was no way we were not going to watch. As soon as the game was over, we celebrated, and then the three boys went to sleep on the couch. They all looked out the window just before going to sleep to see that breathtakingly beautiful full moon and they were hoping to get up to see the total eclipse just before midnight. While waiting for Heather and Jed to get home, I watched as slowly the shadow of the earth started moving across the moon. At first it looked like someone took a bite out of it, then more and more, until there was just a crescent left. That’s when Heather and Jed got home and we tried to wake the boys. But only Sam stirred a bit, looked up and said “uh-huh” and went right back to sleep. By the time I got home, I got to see that Blood Red Wolf Moon totally eclipsed in a clear sky. Because it was so clear, the reddish tinge the full moon takes on during a total eclipse was quite dramatic. I do hope Sam does remember the little bit of the eclipse that he saw as the clock rang in his 12th birthday at midnight with that magnificent total eclipse. What a lovely birthday present!
It started raining during the night and continued steadily all day. I did the afternoon indoor soccer runs, taking Jonah to play at 2 pm and going back to get Sam for a 4 pm game. People at the Community Center were saying we had gotten 4 inches of rain. I can’t seem to find the official recorded amount, but let’s just say it was a lot of rain with the temperature in the 50’s. Strange for this time of year. And by morning the temperature will drop into the single digits. Winter in New England.
by Judy Handley | Jan 19, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 19: Sam’s 12th Birthday Party
Date: Saturday, January 19, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Snow; High 36, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today I attended the Upper Cape Cod Women’s March, came home and canned chicken mineral broth, made and froze meat balls, and then spent my evening with attending Sam’s 12th birthday party. Oh my, how the years fly by. Mark and I were home from New Zealand for Sam’s birth in 2007
and then home again from Australia for Sam’s first birthday party.
It is just hard to for me to believe that was twelve years ago. But, believe it or not, it was. This 12th birthday party was held at Ryan’s Amusements in downtown Falmouth which is a candlestick bowling alley and arcade, followed by an overnight at the Goldstones. Two of the boys Sam invited he has known since preschool but the other three are new friends he has met at Morse Pond since going there for 5th and 6th grade.
They all seemed to have such a good time bowling, playing arcade games, and just being together. It was wonderful to see Sam so happy.
We came home to have cake
and open presents from the friends. We get to do all of all over again on Monday when we will have a family dinner, cake, and open family presents on Sam’s actual birthday. But tonight Heather, Ollie, and I left the ‘big’ boys to watch a Star Wars movie and spend the night with Jed while the three of us came to my house to spend the night. There was just enough snow when we got home that we were able to make snow ice cream which Ollie thoroughly enjoyed and we watched a much shorter ‘movie’ of Ollie’s choice, a Wild Kratt’s special edition. Poor Jed. I have a feeling there won’t be much sleeping happening there tonight.
Tomorrow’s weather looks really outrageous with a forecast for a high of 51 degrees F and a low of 8 with tons of rain before the temps plunge. Of course, if the rain continues when the temperature plunges, it could mean snow or ice. We are also supposed to have 40 mile per hour winds. I’ve prepared for a temporary power outage, just in case, but if we should lose power for any length of time while the temps are in the single digits, I will go to Heather’s where they will have warmth from the fireplace. This is our first winter storm of any consequence, and it is surely a strange one.
by Judy Handley | Jan 18, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 18: Dining at The White House
Date: Friday, January 18, 2019
Weather: Mix of Sun, Clouds, Fog, and Mist; High 41, Low 25 degrees F .
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Definitely the highlight of today was dining at The White House. Our dining-in group met this evening
at Terry and Olivia White’s home which we now refer to as The White House. They always put on a fantastic spread of Indian food. The evening started with Terry’s delicious pakoras which he makes with potatoes and spinach coated in a chickpea flour batter and deep fried. So yummy. Olivia’s raita
always gets the most beautiful dish award, and it was also delicious, as were all of the dishes.
I spent my day making chicken mineral broth and going to the gym to put in my time on the recumbent bike. I now have Spotify on my phone so I could listen to music while biking which made the riding so much more pleasant. I was listening to a mix of music Jonah put together for me. I had to laugh when the last song was Highway to Hell by AC/DC. Grandkids do keep you young! The big news of the day is the coming storm. Sunday is forecast to be rainy here with the temperature in the 40’s. But then when the sun goes down, the temperature will begin a plunge and go down to 7 degrees F by the early hours of Monday morning. The fear is ice build up as the temperature plunges. Of course, this could all change by Sunday, but it seems prudent to get ready for a power outage, just in case.
by Judy Handley | Jan 17, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 17: A Day of Unplanned Events
Date: Thursday, January 17, 2019
Weather: Sunny; High 31, Low 22 degrees F .
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Some days go as planned. Some don’t. Today was a day of unplanned events for me . . . all fun. I decided this morning that today should be the day I return to the gym. I have avoided it since returning home from Tennessee as my knee has been, at best, tenuous. But I went for it this morning and all went well. A friend that I met at the gym two years ago, Linda Onthank, was there for the class this morning, and afterwards, she invited me to meet her at Starbucks for coffee and conversation. Somehow, we talked our way into the afternoon, and after running a couple of errands, it was almost 1 o’clock before I got home. It was then time for lunch and while I was fixing that I saw that the ‘aunties’ return home. My neighbor and landlord is Shirley Wiedemann. She and her sister Doris live next door (which is just across the drive-way) in Shirley’s home part of the time and at Doris’ home near Boston when they are not here. Due to health issues, they have not been here since August, so it was great to see them return today. I call them the ‘aunties’ because they are the aunts of my good friend Karen Baranowski and soon after the ‘aunties’ arrived, Peter and Karen come to visit with them. I continued with my plan for today which was to roast an organic chicken so I can make my magic chicken mineral broth tomorrow. I got it in the oven and a little later Karen knocked on the door. She walked over to say hello and said she and Peter were headed to the hospital to get a shingles vaccine. I have been trying to get a shingles vaccine since August of 2017, but due to my procrastination, a change in the kind of vaccine given, and then a shortage of the new vaccine, I have been unsuccessful in my attempts. So, my eyes lit up when Karen said the Falmouth Hospital got a shipment of the vaccine this morning. I said I’d make sure to go tomorrow and we said our goodbyes. Then Karen knocked on the door again and invited me to go with them. Why not? I was still dressed in my workout clothes, but I turned off the oven and took off as I was. It took almost two hours for the three of us to get the vaccine, but we did it and afterwards Peter and Karen brought me home. I turned the oven back on to continue to roast that chicken and put in some root vegetables for dinner. Then I called Heather to check on details for Sam’s birthday this weekend and she invited me to come over to hear Ollie practice playing scales on his violin. Again, I turned off the oven and took off. Oh, my. Little Ollie is taking his violin lessons so seriously and he is just too cute to watch. He holds the violin just perfectly,
concentrates so completely, and looks to mama for direction.
After playing the scales, he very carefully named each part of the violin for me. Then he went into the den and played the same scale on the piano explaining to me that anything you can play on the violin you can play on the piano. Unplanned, but such a precious moment. Finally, I returned home and turned the oven on once again. I did have that chicken and roasted root veggies for dinner and I am still sitting here in my workout clothes from the gym this morning. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure I get dressed early in the day! Some days don’t go as planned, but sometimes unplanned is good.
by Judy Handley | Jan 16, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 16: On the Basis of Sex
Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Two Moments of Sunshine; High 40, Low 17 degrees F .
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Friend Karen Baranowski and I went to see On the Basis of Sex this afternoon. This is the film about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It hasn’t gotten stellar reviews, but we both still wanted to see it and make up our own minds about its worth. People I have talked to that saw both the RBG documentary and the film, really liked the documentary better. But I thoroughly enjoyed both. To me, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a true American icon and I think it is wonderful that she is being recognized for what she has done while she is still working to make the right decisions for our country. She is a living legend and I thought the film did a great job showing that, while at the same time, revealing some of her struggles without taking anything from her greatness. I guess I am an easy audience, as I give this film a 5 out of 5. Otherwise, it was a typical January day—some sunshine early, then overcast, windy and cold, then a peak of sunshine, then overcast and chilly. So goes winter.
by Judy Handley | Jan 15, 2019 | 2019 Life Logs |
2019 Life Logs, Day 15: Morning In, Afternoon and Evening Out
Date: Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 36, Low 23 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Things were changed up a bit today. I started out exercising and watching the opening of the William Barr Senate hearings. Then I got a call from Jane Woodin who was headed to my neck of the woods for an appointment and wanted to stop by to visit for a bit. We had a chance to catch up on my visit to Tennessee and Jane’s past week in New York City. She had a fabulous time, going to five Broadway shows and visiting museums. Jane had to leave for her appointment, but we promised to continue the conversation tonight as I was invited to dinner. After Jane left, I continued a frustrating battle I started late yesterday with Spirit Airlines. Yesterday I was not able to log-in as a member as they were updating the website. And today I just couldn’t get in. I was trying to make reservations for Justin’s trip here the end of February to stay with me post knee surgery. I called and got help, but even with help, I could only log in as a Spirit member on my tablet (which I never use), not on my computer. I had to leave to pick Jonah and Ollie up from school before I made the reservation, so that is first on the list for tomorrow morning. I took advantage of my time at Heather and Jed’s to do a little laundry as the boys spent their after-school time next door. Molly and Joey, the neighbor kids, just got a new puppy named Clipper and Ollie has decided he would like to move in next door.
As he told me this afternoon, he has wanted a puppy ever since he was born. I don’t think that is going to happen as Jed is set against it, but Ollie will keep trying. I have been considering getting a puppy in the spring. Maybe that will help fill the need.
This evening I went to Bruce and Jane’s for dinner. I took a Salad to go with their pork tenderloin cooked just-right, broccoli, and mashed potatoes with cauliflower which was absolutely delicious. Good dinner, good conversation, good friends. Life is good.
