by Judy Handley | Oct 1, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 274: Lovely Fall Weather
Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny; High Temp 66, Low 53 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the total devastation left in the storm’s path, I feel guilty enjoying this lovely fall weather … but not guilty enough to stop enjoying it. At the same time, my heart aches for all the people who are trying to figure how to survive in their new reality.
I took a lot of things to the Swap Shop at the town dump this morning and then came home to fix a broccoli and cauliflower salad to have for lunch. Karen Baranowski was coming over to bring me quahogs that Peter got for me. He bought them from a commercial “clam man” who works in Bourne Pond. So as long as Karen was coming over, I invited her to have lunch. We sat on the back deck for lunch as it was just too nice outside to sit inside. Unfortunately, Karen came in a great mood and left a little depressed. I had just read an article sent to me from my daughter-in-law’s father who lives in England. Phil sends me political articles from The Guardian from time to time and this one was particularly depressing. It was about why Kamala Harris is falling behind Trump after an initial surge forward. Apologies, Karen, for passing on my fears about the upcoming election.
After Karen left, it was time to pick Ollie up after school. He had to bring his tenor sax home from school today as he had private saxophone lessons at 5 pm. That that sax is just too big to carry very far. I took Ollie home, came home to play ball with Shadow and talk to my sister, and then I picked him up for his lesson. I am now home and just finished dinner. I am getting ready to watch the Vice-Presidential debate. I shall not speak another word about politics today, but I will watch.
by Judy Handley | Sep 30, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 273: Happy Birthday to Heather
Date: Monday, September 30, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny; High Temp 66, Low 55 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today was Heather’s 49th birthday. She loves sunflowers and yesterday when we were at Tony Andrew’s Farm we saw people coming back on the hay wagon carrying sunflowers that she was admiring. So today I drove to Tony Andrew’s Farm to pick some sunflowers. But when I went into the store to inquire, I was told to look at the big sign by the door. It stated very definitely that there is no sunflower picking until this coming Saturday, October 5. The woman explained to me that yesterday people were picking the sunflowers anyway and that some people pulled them up by the root even though that sign was on the wall yesterday as well. So, no sunflowers for Heather from there. I traveled on to Mahoney’s and bought a pot of chrysanthemums instead, but on the way home I remembered that Windfall Market always has sunflowers, so Heather got both for her birthday. Then, tonight after Heather and Jed got home from town related meetings, we had cake and Heather opened presents. I gave Heather a wooden bowl made by her Uncle Steve in Florida. Happy Birthday, Heather!
The other big activity today was taking Shadow to meet Archie. Archie is a small poodle puppy belonging to Joanie Thompson. Joanie lives close by, so Shadow and I went over for a play date. Archie is just over six months old, is tiny compared to Shadow, and is very shy with other dogs. Joanie and I wanted to see how our dogs would react to each other, and it was a positive experience. Joanie and Archie will come here to visit and if that is successful, then I think we will feel comfortable dog sitting for one another.
by Judy Handley | Sep 29, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 272: Sundae Sunday at Tony Andrews Farm
Date: Sunday, September 29, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny; High Temp 65, Low 53 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today was Sundae Sunday at Tony Andrews Farm. Heather sent a text this morning inviting me to go with them, so I did. I think this was a first Sundae Sunday. At least Heather and I don’t remember hearing anything about them in the past. It was the farm’s way of welcoming in the pumpkin patch season. There were lots of people buying pumpkins. But not us. Heather, Ollie, and I are adamant that we wait until later in October to start the pumpkin ‘thing’. So Heather and Ollie had an ice cream sundae, Heather’s with an apple cider donut on top, but they skipped the pumpkin ice cream.
The rest of us just had apple cider and apple cider donuts.
Sam, Jonah, and Jonah’s friend Kaden didn’t stay long as they were heading to the golf driving range and then Sunday pick up soccer. When we got home, Heather and I worked a bit on figuring out the easiest way for me to share a ton of photos with her. After Sam’s senior photo shoot yesterday, she realized that she is missing photos from Sam’s early years as they were stored in Picasa. When Picasa went away a few years ago, Jed and I transferred the storage of our Picasa photos, but Heather did not. It is easy to get lost in the world of photo organization on your computer, and so I have been wandering in the land for all of this evening. As always, I am terribly behind in organizing my photos. I have this very convoluted process that worked for me before the age of Google Photo, but I think I am going to give up and let Google do the work for me in the future.
by Judy Handley | Sep 28, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 271: Senior Sam; Wine Group Octoberfest
Date: Friday, September 27, 2024
Weather: Partly Sunny; High Temp 68, Low 55 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
I spent most of today getting ready to host my Wine Group’s Octoberfest this evening, but just before people arrived at 5:30 pm, I got a photo from Heather. It was a photo of Sam standing in the water at Quissett Beach.
It was in the exact same location where we had a family photo shoot in 2009 and it brought back a flood of memories. Mark and I had flown home from Malaysia for the births of Ziggy in New Mexico in April of that year and then on to Cape Cod for the birth of Jonah in Massachusetts in June. Before we headed back to Malaysia, Justin, Jo, and Ziggy came to Cape Cod to visit and we arranged a photo shoot of the expanding family on the beach in Quissett. Today’s photo of Sam was part of his senior portrait photo shoot, and thankfully he had his clothes on! In 2009, after the photographer had taken a photo of the entire family, she was setting up for photo of Oma and Granddad with the three grandchildren. Somehow during this process, two-year-old Sam escaped, took off his G-diaper, and gleefully headed into the water.
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Thankfully the photographer was unfazed, and we enticed Sam out of the water and took the photo without the diaper.
That’s why I said that I am glad he had all his clothes on today. I just can’t believe he is now seventeen and will graduate from high school this year. What a range of emotions that triggers.
Our wine group Octoberfest this evening was a total success.
I am the only beer drinker in the group, so in my honor, everyone brought beer instead of a German wine which was a choice. The four different types of German beer we tasted were all really good and everyone liked them.
We played beer pong to determine the order of presentation and then proceeded with the tasting of beers and food pairings. We ended the evening by taking a photo in ‘costume’ to send to the members who couldn’t be with us tonight.
by Judy Handley | Sep 27, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 271: Quashnet River Walk, Step-up Night, and In Between
Date: Friday, September 27, 2024
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High Temp 68, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Today started with a walk and ended at the high school football game, but in between there was a lot of other activity. My friend Olga Mitchell, Shadow, and I love to walk the Quashnet River Trail. It has been months since we did it, so this morning we got back out there. We didn’t do the whole trail, but we enjoyed what we did do. After taking Olga home, Shadow and I drove to the Cape Cod Package Store in Centerville to check out their German beers and wines for the Octoberfest I am hosting tomorrow night. There will only be seven of us as the Sullivans are in New York City helping their daughter’s family move north of the city and Kim Caverly is in Greece. But the seven of us that are here will make sure to have enough fun for all. The afternoon was spent making German chocolate brownies and prepping the ingredients for sauerkraut balls for tomorrow night. Then in the early evening I headed to Falmouth High School for a Friday night football game where the middle school band would be participating. Ollie plays his saxophone in the band, so I wanted to go enjoy the fun.
The middle school band sat in the bleachers and played along with the high school band during the game. This is called Step Up Night as it gives the 8th graders a glimpse of what it will be like when they move on to the high school. Ollie has another year after this one before he will be moving the high school, but the 7th graders were included as well.
by Judy Handley | Sep 26, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 270: You Win Some, You Lose Some
Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Weather: Cloudy with Sprinkles, Felt Warmer; High Temp 68, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
When I walked out the door this morning with Shadow, it felt noticeably warmer than yesterday. The remained cloudy with a little rain in the afternoon, so the fact that I ended up having to spend most of the day inside wasn’t such a bummer. The outside just didn’t beckon today.
I spent my morning in a Newcomers/Encore annual Field Trip group planning meeting. Christina Brodie and I co-lead this group that is my favorite activity. I love the way we come together in a brainstorming session every September and walk out the door with a year’s worth of wonderful trips to be planned. Different members offer to plan the trips and Christina and I just facilitate. But the two of us do always organize at least one of the trips because we enjoy doing it. It was almost noon when I got home. The first thing I did was check on the appeal I submitted yesterday to try and keep my sister’s Medicare Advantage co-paying her stay in the rehabilitation center. I have won every appeal up to now, but when I checked the website, I saw that I had lost this one. I called to find out why and was told they would have a nurse call me to read the report to me. I was also told I could submit a Reconsideration Appeal. What a process this has become. While waiting for the nurse to call, I talked to Brian, my sister’s Durable POA, to inform him, and then I got a call from the rehab facility explaining some of what was happening in more detail. And for whatever reason, during all of these calls I had really spotty cell service. When I called to make the Reconsideration Appeal, I got to the very end and was then disconnected. I had to call back and start all over with a new person. And even though I could only hear about half of what was being said, I think the determination is that my sister will be going back to her assisted living facility sooner than I was expecting. So, I am going into high gear to start making those arrangements.
While all of this was happening, I was also trying to do some prep for the wine group Octoberfest we are having at my house on Saturday evening. I did a little more shopping and a little more cleaning. On my way back from my shopping trip, I stopped by the Goldstones to pick up a baking pan of mine. Jed was furiously getting dinner for the boys as he had to leave in 5 minutes to get to Meet the Teacher Night at the high school. He was going to have to meet with both Sam’s teachers and Jonah’s teachers since Heather was still not home from Climate Week in New York City. He was feeling very much like a single parent. I heard from Heather last night as she wanted me to know that she saw the elephants (the ones I saw in Newport) in the Meat Packing District yesterday. I think Heather get home late tonight. I’ll look forward to hearing more about the elephants.
When I got home and started fixing dinner all of a sudden the electricity went off. I looked online and saw that a sliver of Falmouth had no power. The cause was unknown. I texted the Goldpebbles to see if they had also lost power, but they were fine. And I was fine as I have a whole house generator. But after awhile, the generator went off, everything went black for a moment and the lights came back on. Then it went black again, the generator came back on, and with a little lag time, the lights and tv returned. This continued on and off craziness continued for the next hour and then it was steady generator. Just as I started writing this log at 10:40, the electricity seems to be back on for good.
I am thinking of the people in northern Florida tonight. Hurricane Helene is making landfall in the next hour and the forecast for damage sounds devastating. It makes the inconvenience of on and off power seem very, very trivial.
