by Judy Handley | May 9, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 183, Year 7: Lost Day
Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Weather: Rain, Rain, and More Rain
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
Today happened without my participation. Just before I wrote last night’s
log I started feeling simply terrible. I almost skipped writing the log I
felt so bad. But I wrote it and then went to bed. I started chilling and
couldn’t sleep. Eventually I took some Tylenol and dozed off. I’d
forgotten just how bad a person can feel. I only got out of bed today long
enough to drink some chicken broth at noon and again at 4:30. I think this
might be a first for me. I never just stay in bed no matter how bad I feel,
but whatever hit me, hit hard and fast. Finally at 8:30 tonight, I felt
good enough to get up and stay up. Sam and Jonah called me this evening to
see how I was feeling and to relate their stories of being sick as well.
Both of them got sick last night as well. They felt much better today but
didn’t go to school. Hopefully tomorrow all of us will feel better and
hopefully Mark, Heather, and Jed will not get this bug.
Mark went to work at West Marine tonight from 6 to 10 pm to help with
inventory. So at least he accomplished something today. It was a total
loss for me.
by Judy Handley | May 8, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 182, Year 7: Halfway Point
Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Weather: Overcast with Threat of Rain
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
We started Year 7 of our adventure last November 9. That means that
tomorrow we will be the halfway point through the current year. And all we
have done is sit here in Fiddler’s Cove Marina. I know the second half of
the year will have a bit more sailing activity, and who knows what next year
will bring. Right now, we are just focused on getting the deck done. We
made some progress this morning, thanks to the weather. The forecasted rain
all fell north of here, but supposedly we’ll get our turn tomorrow. We
spent the afternoon at Heather’s helping to get things transferred from the
old refrigerator to the new one. It is huge and most everything from the
old refrig fit into the door shelves on the new one. But I know it won’t be
long before it is full. Empty space always fills up.
Heather and Jed took Sam to meet the elementary school where he will attend
kindergarten next fall. The school set up a book walk where each page of
the book was read in a different physical location in the school. I simply
cannot believe Sam is five years old and will be in kindergarten in the
fall.
by Judy Handley | May 7, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 181, Year 7: Glimpse of Cape Cod Summer
Date: Monday, May 7, 2012
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Warm
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
Mark and I spent the morning working hard on getting the forward portside
deck ready to caulk. Mark had already used the Fein took to remove the old
caulk and the Dremel saw to deepen the grooves, and I had already done a
first clean-up of the grooves with a carpet knife. But it still needed more
work. So this morning Mark went back over it again with the Fein tool and I
with the carpet knife. By noon, we had most of the forward deck taped and
ready to caulk. It was hot on deck, but not unbearable, so Mark was able to
make it through the morning. But by lunchtime, it was time for him to take
a rest and for me to get pick up Sam and Jonah. I brought them back to the
boat for naps today and told them that I would take them to nearby Old
Silver Beach when they got up. That’s when we got the first glimpse of a
Cape Cod summer.
While the boys napped, Mark and I started the caulking. We got about half
of the taped area caulked and quit as it was time for Mark to have another
rest and for me to get the boys up from nap and take them to the beach.
Heather and Oliver joined us and we watched as Sam and Jonah rollicked in
the sand. Jonah ran up and down the beach with total abandon. Sam headed
straight for the water. We had said that going in the water was off limits
today, but somehow Sam managed to get his rolled up pants wet. So then both
boys took off their pants and went running in their underwear. Then Heather
got her rolled up pants wet. But she didn’t go running in her underwear!
It was after 6 pm when we got back to Windbird. We stopped at a couple of
restaurants on the way home hoping to find take-out fish and chips for
dinner, but we had no luck. So we quickly cooked fresh corn on the cob that
Heather brought and broiled chicken nuggets for the kids and Pacific salmon
for the adults. Dinner had to happen fast so Mark and I could try and
finish caulking the taped area tonight-before the rain comes. We made
progress, but the temperature was dropping and it made the caulk hard to
work with. We quit for the night and are hoping the forecasted rain holds
off tomorrow morning and gives us a chance to finish the forward deck.
Jed couldn’t join us this afternoon. While we frolicked on the beach, Jed
was at home trying to finish off the drywall. The kitchen at 60 Vidal
Avenue is in total disarray, and that is why Heather and boys stayed on
Windbird for dinner. Jed planned to work until the time he had to go to a
Board of Health Monday night meeting and then return home as soon as
possible to continue. It has been a very busy time for all of us, but we
are making great progress. The garden is mostly planted, the kitchen at
Heather and Jed’s is almost ready for the new refrigerator, and the caulking
on the port deck is moving right along. And Mark is feeling better. So no
complaints here.
I have to add a couple of other notes. First is thank you to our friends
Claire and Dick Wiklund. They had to go to Hyannis today and Claire offered
to do a little food shopping for me. There are things available in Hyannis
that we just can’t get here in Falmouth. She even delivered the ‘goods’
this afternoon. It was while we were in the midst of caulking so we barely
got a chance to talk to her. So thank you, Dick and Claire. The second
thing I want to mention has to do with the joy of having grandchildren.
When Mark went to bed tonight, he called in to ask me why he had a frog, a
butterfly, a kitten, and a bear in bed with him. I called back telling him
to look under his pillow where he would find a tiny red plastic camera.
This is when you know your grandchildren took a nap in your bed.
Delightful.
by Judy Handley | May 6, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 180, Year 7: A Break in the Weather
Date: Sunday, May 6, 2012
Weather: Finally . . . Partly Sunny
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
We had a little reprieve from the overcast skies today. It was partly sunny
and warm with no rain or mist. But rain is forecast to return on Tuesday,
so we have to work fast. Mark went to work at West Marine this morning, but
he only made it until 1 pm. He is feeling a little bit better, but not good
enough to be on his feet all day at work. I went to Heather and Jed’s this
morning and Heather and I worked in the garden. Oliver slept in the
stroller in the garden and then in the house in his bouncy seat, giving us a
chance to get almost everything planted. Jed worked on getting the new
kitchen wall ready to finish and watched Oliver once we put him inside.
Just as we were all stopping for a lunch break, I got the call from Mark to
come and get him. I took him back to the boat and he slept the rest of the
afternoon. I worked on the deck and if he is feeling up to it, we will both
be out there in the morning. Since tomorrow is the only day for the rest of
the week without rain in the forecast, we will try and get as much done as
possible. Let’s just hope Mark is feeling better so the projects can
continue.
by Judy Handley | May 5, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 179, Year 7: No Super Full Moon Here Tonight
Date: Saturday, May 5, 2012
Weather: Still Overcast and Misty
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
Tonight there is a super full moon somewhere on earth-just not here. It has
been overcast for days and we have seen neither sun nor moon. I’m hoping
our friends Heather and Jon of Evergreen, on passage from the Galapagos to
the Marquesas, have clear skies tonight and can enjoy the ‘super moon.’ It
should appear to be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than normal
full moons as it makes its closest path to the earth this year. We had a
gorgeous full moon on our passage to the Galapagos on the night we crossed
the equator. It was a night we will never forget. But unfortunately, the
overcast skies are preventing us from enjoying the moon tonight.
This drizzly weather is getting a bit wearing and there is no clear
indication of when it will end. In fact, it looks like we could have rain
most days this coming week. Tomorrow and Monday look like the only chances
for a bit of sunshine. Since this is the week we were planning to do as
much work as possible on the port deck, a more favorable forecast would have
been our choice. But you don’t always get what you want. We were also
hoping that Mark would be feeling better by today, but that didn’t happen
either. He was not able to go to work today. He’s feeling a bit better
tonight and is hoping that he will have the energy to work tomorrow. If he
does work tomorrow, he then has only Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to work
on the deck before he goes back to work for the remainder of the week. And
then it will be Chemo Monday once again. Somehow we have align the days
when Mark is feeling good with sunny days when he is not working at West
Marine and can work on the deck. Otherwise, it could be mid-summer before
we get this deck project completed. But I’m going to work with Heather
tomorrow to get much of the garden planted and then call on her to come help
me with the deck caulking when Mark is not available. Mark can always hold
Oliver on the days when he is feeling lousy and that allows Heather to work
with me. The boat gets hauled out of the water either next week or the
following week, deck completed or not, so we have to get the job done.
Once it became apparent that Mark did not have the energy to work today, he
decided to go to the Saturday market with me and then go to Heather and
Jed’s and veg on the sofa while I worked in the garden. Heather got some
time to work in the garden as well, but it is hard when there are three
little ones demanding your attention. Jed is working hard to get the
kitchen wall rebuilt and ready for the delivery of the new refrigerator this
week. So there’s no lack of activity around here.
by Judy Handley | May 4, 2012 | Cape Cod, USA, Sailing Logs Year 7 |
Day 178, Year 7: World’s Healthiest Chicken Broth
Date: Friday, May 4, 2012
Weather: Still Overcast
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
We are definitely having typical New England spring weather. We haven’t seen the sun for four days and it feels damp and cool inside the boat without the sun to warm us. We still use the oil-filled radiator heaters at night to keep the temp between 65 and 70 degree F, but we had gotten spoiled. The sun has been shining all winter and keeping us warm during the day. We could easily have this kind of overcast, drizzly weather off and on through June, so I guess we’d better get used to it.
I spent a fair bit of time today making chicken broth. But this is no ordinary chicken broth. I wrote in another log about Magic Mineral Broth. Add chicken bones to that mix and you get Chicken Magic Mineral Broth. I can or freeze the broth and use it for a variety of things, but mostly for making soups, cooking rice, and adding to kale and other greens. It is so nutrient rich that I think you could survive by just drinking the broth. My chicken broth starts with the carcass of an organically fed, free-range chicken from Martha’s Vineyard. I buy a five pound frozen chicken at the Saturday market. After I’ve removed all the meat, I add the bones to a huge pot and then throw in carrots, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, leeks, celery, garlic cloves, parsley, and then the spices—juniper berries, bay leaves, peppercorns, vinegar, and salt. And then I throw in a strip of dried seaweed called kombu. So the first thing I had to do this morning was go to the supermarket to pick up some of the ingredients. Then I went to Heather’s to get this concoction burbling before I went to pick up Sam and Jonah. I gave Heather and Jed half of the broth and brought the other half back to Windbird and put it in my empty freezer. I don’t know how I let the freezer get so empty, but I did and the broth makes the perfect filler for now.
Mark is still not feeling up to par. In fact, he has zero energy and his stomach is unsettled. During prior treatment weeks, he has usually started to bounce back by Friday, but not this week. He has to go to work tomorrow, so he is sure hoping he will be feeling better in the morning. But despite feeling awful, he was a great help today. He and Oliver hung out on the sofa together while I was cooking and doing laundry. And Mark made a sugar water mixture and fed the bees. Heather had a 6-week check up with the OB/GYN, so she was gone most of the afternoon. But as long as Oliver has Granddad, he is fine. We stayed for Friday night pizza at the Goldstones. They have a bread maker that makes this incredible pizza dough and the boys enjoy helping to get the dough in the pans.
Between the weather and the number of things to do, the garden work has been ignored this week. So rain or shine, tomorrow is garden day. Tomorrow is also Cinco de Mayo. I’ll take that to mean that it is a lucky day for planting.
