by Judy Handley | Nov 25, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 36, Year 9: Emerging from the Deep Freeze
Date: Monday, November 25, 2013
Weather: Sunny with High Temp in the 30’s F, Wind Decreasing
Location: Home of Bruce and Jane Woodin, West Falmouth, MA
Tonight the temperature is rising instead of getting colder. Tomorrow it will be at least 10 degrees warmer than today and then on Wednesday we will have rain but it will be in the 50’s. Heat wave! But on Thanksgiving Day it is supposed to sunny and cold once again—just not quite as cold as it was last night. Windbird is doing okay, but with the heaters set as we have them, the inside temp today was in the 30’s. The heater we have in the main cabin is great when we are onboard and can constantly adjust the temperature setting, but when we are gone we need to get our other oil-encased heater out of storage to replace the one that is there now. We have one oil-encased heater in the aft cabin that heats the engine room and it was noticeably warmer than the main cabin. With the temperature rising, I decided not to go back into town to get the other heater today. We will get it tomorrow and make the change then. The oil-encased heaters radiate heat slowly instead of blowing air. They don’t warm you up quickly when you come in out of the cold, but they are steady workhorses.
We talked to our Australian friends, Chris and Geoff of Shambala, tonight. They are still in the Lincoln Harbor Marina just across the Hudson from New York City. They haven’t frozen yet, but are using the oven in Shambala to take away some of the chill. They spent their day today in the city at Macy’s to do a little shopping, but mostly to keep warm. They are not going to be able to head south until at least Friday, so hopefully they will get to enjoy the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I’m posting a photo Chris and Geoff took from Shambala looking across the river to the city. They might be freezing but they have a million dollar view for only $175 a week. Not bad.
Tonight we took advantage of having access to a television to watch a documentary called ‘Toxic Hot Seat’ on HBO. It was about the effects of toxic flame-retardant chemicals. Our daughter has almost no furniture in her house because she refuses to allow any more of these toxic chemicals into her home. I never fully understood by until tonight. Thanks to a law passed in California in the 1970’s and the huge lobbying efforts of the chemical industry, we have all been needlessly exposed to these cancer-causing chemicals for almost 40 years. California has recently announced new standards that will lead to the sale of flame-retardant-free furniture in that state. Before you say “But we need flame-retardants to keep us safe”—find a way to watch this powerful documentary.
Mark is starting to recover from the sore mouth issues. He is now able to eat soft foods that have not been blended. Hopefully this trend will continue. Thanks to those of you who have sent positive thoughts and recommendations his way.
by Judy Handley | Nov 24, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 35, Year 9: Brrrrrr . . .
Date: Sunday, November 24, 2013
Weather: Temps Below Freezing Day and Night, VERY Windy WNW
Location: Home of Bruce and Jane Woodin, West Falmouth, MA
The low tonight is supposed to be 16 degrees F with winds blowing a steady 20-25 knots. It is COLD. We were inside all day today until mid-afternoon when I went to the boat to get some things. I knew it was cold and windy, but not until I got out of the car at the marina did I feel the full impact. The marina is exposed from the NW, so the WNW winds were roaring in and the sound of creaking lines and wind in the rigging of boats was overwhelming. Windbird seems to be doing fine, even though her lines were certainly creaking under the strain. It would not be fun to be aboard right now, but there is always that worry when we are not there.
I once again filled my day with cooking. I made Dr. Furman’s Famous Anti-Cancer Soup today and it was an all afternoon project. It is a bean-based soup with loads of veggies pureed and added to the base—carrot juice, a huge bunch of kale, onions, 3 leeks, 10 zucchini, raw cashews, and on and on. I invited Heather, Jed, and boys out for dinner to help us eat the soup and I still have a huge pot and a couple of jars I put in the freezer. I wouldn’t rate it as my favorite soup of all time, but it is certainly nutritious and something Mark can eat. He continues to suffer from a sore mouth. He was a bit better mid-day, but was worse again this evening. I’m hoping another day of rest tomorrow will do the job and he will be better by Tuesday. I’d hate to see him not be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner.
by Judy Handley | Nov 23, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 34, Year 9: Coping with Chemo Side Effects
Date: Saturday, November 23, 2013
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, High Temp in the Low 40’s
Location: Home of Bruce and Jane Woodin, West Falmouth, MA
With the chemo regimen Mark was on two years ago, cold sensitivity was the biggest problem. He had some issues with mouth sores, but nothing major. This time around, he isn’t getting the drug that causes the cold sensitivity but he is struggling with a sore mouth (oral mucositis). Chemo drugs are intended to kill fast growing cells like cancer cells. But there are other cells in your body that normally divide and grow fast such as the cells that line the inside of your mouth. Therefore, these cells are attacked by the chemo drugs. In Mark’s case, it is very difficult for him to chew and swallow. So I spent my day working on temporarily changing our diet to one of soft foods. Mark is using a prescription mouth wash that is supposed to help control the pain. It helps for a few minutes right after he uses it, but then the pain returns. It is so bad that it is even difficult for Mark to talk. Let’s hope things are better tomorrow.
Today was an okay weather day—not beautiful and sunny, but not freezing. But the thermometer is going to drop tonight and we probably won’t see temps above freezing again until Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday look more like today but then the temperature drops again. Turkey Day will be in the 30’s, but at least it looks like it will be a tad above freezing.
by Judy Handley | Nov 22, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 33, Year 9: Fifty Years Ago Today
Date: Friday, November 22, 2013
Weather: Warmer Today and Tomorrow and Then Back to FREEZING
Location: Home of Bruce and Jane Woodin, West Falmouth, MA
On the way home from an afternoon of running errands in Falmouth, we were listening to NPR news on the local public radio station. As we pulled into the drive-way, we were listening to Walter Cronkite reviewing the happenings on this day in 1963. NPR was replaying this piece from the 40th Anniversary of Kennedy’s death, and they were doing so because it is a very powerful piece presented as only Walter Cronkite, who is no longer with us, could do. We had what is called a public radio ‘drive-way’ moment and had to stay in the car until the piece was over. What a powerful reminder! On November 22, 1963, I was a junior in high school and Mark was in college. On this particular day, I was in Chemistry class when the alarm went off for an all-school fire drill. Once we were all outside the school, the principal announced over the loud-speaker that President Kennedy had been killed by an assassin. Whether you loved him or hated him, an immediate feeling of grief and loss overcame all. Mark was bussing tables in the student union at Eastern Illinois University and in passing he saw the announcement that the President had been shot on a TV screen. The initial reaction was total disbelief. But after that initial moment, like all Americans, we spent the next three days watching our nation grieve on television. Tonight Mark and I went up to Bruce’s ‘man cave’ on the second floor where there is a television and watched some of the tributes to Kennedy. Even after 50 years, it is hard to watch without shedding a tear. As we look back, however, the sadness is no longer so much about Kennedy’s death as it is about the loss of innocence we experienced as a country on that November day in 1963.
by Judy Handley | Nov 21, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 32, Year 9: Marathon Day
Date: Thursday, November 21, 2013
Weather: Freezing Overnight, Mostly Sunny, Not Quite as Cold Today
Location: Home of Bruce and Jane Woodin, West Falmouth, MA
We were on Oma and Granddad duty for fourteen straight hours today and we survived! Actually, the kids were great. We arrived at 6:45 am and had two whole hours before we had to get out the door to deliver Sam and Jonah to school. Actually, the mother of one of Sam’s best friends, called and offered to come pick up Sam. I told her to hold on while I asked Sam and he said to me, “Oma, always say yes when Sebastian’s mom offers to pick me up.” Got it. Mark, Ollie, and I then drove Jonah to Woods Hole and came back by way of Bruce and Jane’s to let Siggy have a little outdoor time and to let Oliver play with the dog. Ollie then fell asleep on the way home and slept until almost noon. It was an early nap, but a good one, and he was in a good mood for the rest of day and evening. Ollie and I walked to pick Sam up from school to give Granddad a little nap time. Friday is spelling test day for Sam, so we practiced those spelling words and then it was time to go pick up Jonah. Again we drove home by way of Bruce and Jane’s, this time to feed Siggy and let him out for a bit. Then it was home for a taco dinner and movie night with popcorn. The three boys couldn’t have been better, so it was a long day, but not a hard one—so not so much like a marathon after all. The boys were still up when Heather and Jed got home and they were all sooooooo excited to see their daddy after a three-day absence. Unless the weather is just too bad (rain tomorrow), Heather, Jed, and boys are headed to Connecticut tomorrow. Jed has to speak at the Coast Guard Academy in New London tomorrow afternoon and then they will travel on to New Haven for the Yale-Harvard football game on Saturday. As a Yale alum, Jed likes to go to this game each year to catch up with friends and now Sam and Jonah have been enough times that they look forward to the game as well. With the Goldstones gone, looks like we’ll have a very quiet weekend.
by Judy Handley | Nov 20, 2013 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 31, Year 9: Running in Place
Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Weather: Freezing Overnight, Sunny and Cold Today
Location: Home of Bruce and Jane Woodin, West Falmouth, MA
I really don’t know how single parents survive. When Heather and Justin were little, it took both Mark and I working at full speed 24-7 to keep things going. Heather and Jed have worked out a way of surviving with their three little ones, but when you take one person out of the ‘work force’ it leaves a hole that is hard to fill. So Mark and I have been trying to fill in that hole this week while Jed is out of town. Today I felt like I was running in place. I was running here and there, doing this and that, but I can’t think of a thing I have to show for all the effort. Well, that’s not exactly true. Three little boys are probably happier as a result of all of our efforts and that makes it all worth it. Tomorrow will be the real challenge, however. We have to arrive for Oma and Granddad duty before 7 am. Heather has to be in Boston by 9 am and won’t return until after bedtime for the boys tomorrow night. But she will return with Jed and life will return to normal. Since we have to run a marathon tomorrow, I’d better end this and head to bed.
