2023 Life Logs, Day 52: Snow Fun
Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Weather: Overcast, Snow Early Evening; High 31, Low 22 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset in East Falmouth: 6:29 am – 5:24 pm (+3 minutes)
Location: At Home at Cinnamon Sticks, West Dover, VT

Today ended up being a ‘recovery’ day—no snowboarding—but our day did end with some snow fun. Mid-afternoon we took a break from just enjoying the day . . . reading, puzzling, playing games, just lounging. We drove a little south to the town of Wilmington to do the river walk. It is a just a half mile loop through town, across the river, and back to where we started. We stopped in a little shop with all things Vermont, a great little book store, and the grocery store to resupply. It started snowing on our way home and continued snowing throughout the evening. Not a heavy snow, but a few inches that made for a great nighttime snowball fight. There were lots of sneak attacks. Anyone under 75 got bombarded when coming out of the house, but the age limit spared me! Of course, this meant that all of the nice, dry snow gear ready for tomorrow’s trip to Okemo had to dried . . . again. But what fun! The other hilarious event of the evening was playing a memory game called Find My Behind. We had to match an animal’s head to its tail. It started quietly, but when the first person made a match, we were all yelling at the top of our lungs to cheer the person on. Thankfully there are no houses near us, so we could be as loud as we wanted and evidently we wanted to be really loud. By the end of the game, which Heather won, we were all hoarse and almost in tears with laughter. I guess it doesn’t take much to entertain the Handley-Hunt-Goldstone family

2023 Life Logs, Day 51: Mt. Snow
Date: Monday, February 20, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 45, Low 22 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset in East Falmouth: 6:31 am – 5:23 pm (+2 minutes)
Location: At Home at Cinnamon Sticks, West Dover, VT

By 8 am, the whole gang was out of the house and on their way to Mt. Snow which is a ten minute drive. Watching nine people put on all of that snow gear wore me out before the day was even started! Shadow and I had a relaxed start to our day and then at noon I drove over to the Main Base Lodge to deliver the lunches I packed for everyone. It gave me a chance to check out Mt. Snow up close. I was parked in a 15 minute free space and couldn’t stay long, but I got feel for the place. I just saw that Jo posted this on Facebook today, “We threw ourselves down a mountain today, strapped to lolly sticks, and it was surprisingly AWESOME!” Jed and Heather skied, but everyone else was on a snowboard. It was Ziggy and Coco’s first time and at noon they didn’t seem all that enthusiastic. But by the end of the day, they were ready to give it a go on another day. The snow conditions were the best today as it was too warm. Regardless, everyone had a great time. I loved seeing how happy everyone looked in the photos they took. At this point we think everyone is taking tomorrow off and waiting for better snow conditions on Wednesday morning. But I heard Justin say he might take the kids again tomorrow. On Wednesday, the plan is to drive north to Okemo to check out another Vermont slope.

2023 Life Logs, Day 50: The Calm Before the Storm
Date: Sunday, February 19, 2023
Weather: Cloudy; High 37, Low 29 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset in East Falmouth: 6:32 am – 5:22 pm (+2 minutes)
Location: At Home at Cinnamon Sticks, West Dover, VT

Today was a quiet family day, just hangin’ out. Heather working on a puzzle, grandkids playing outside in the snow, playing pool and darts when they came back inside, then watching a movie. I spent a good deal of my time today in the kitchen. We all too a break around noon and went to visit the Dover the Moon General Store and later in the afternoon we went to a ski shop to rent snowboard gear for Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco, and a pair of skis for Jed. Tomorrow morning the gang heads out early hoping to get in at least a half day of snowboarding and skiing before it gets too warm.

2023 Life Logs, Day 48: Not Ready, Set . . . Yet
Date: Friday, February 17, 2023
Weather: Cloudy, Some Rain; High 53, Low 13 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 6:35 am – 5:19 pm (+2 minutes)
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, NH

I should be packed and ready to go to Vermont in the morning, but I am not quite there. The shopping and packing of food for a week is huge. There are stores within 15 minutes, but I really didn’t want to spend my days there shopping. But transporting this much food in my car while leaving room for Shadow and two kids will be a challenge. Justin wants me to pick up Ziggy and Coco in western Massachusetts on my way and take them on to Vermont with me. He and Jo are going to a show of some sort in Springfield tomorrow night and will not get to Vermont until late. They did make it Newark in the early hours of the morning and spent the afternoon in New York City. The last text was sent from FAO Schwartz at 4:30 pm. They were getting ready to head north soon. Before I go to bed, I do hope to be ‘ready, set’ and that will just leave packing the car in the morning. That’s the hope.

2023 Life Logs, Day 47: Updates
Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Even Warmer; High 62, Low 45 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 6:36 am – 5:18 pm (+3 minutes)
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, NH

Justin and family are getting ready to board a plane in San Juan headed to Newark, New Jersey. They are flying into Newark because they are ending their trip in Brooklyn doing a music gig. Newark was the closest and cheapest flight. Coco and Jo are feeling much better and ready to do, but their first flight tonight was not cooperative. They boarded and then had to get off. Justin thinks it was a gas leak. They waited for a second plane coming in from the Dominican Republic. Hopefully this one is a go and we will see them on Saturday afternoon in Vermont.

I started coughing periodically night before last. That continues, but if I rest periodically during the day, it really minimizes the coughing. Sam missed his second day of school with a slight fever, aches, and a cough. I suddenly realize that a lot of people around me have a cough. Hopefully we will rebound quickly and this won’t affect our snowboarding vacation in Vermont. We head north around noon on Saturday. ‘Get well quick’ is my mantra.

I took Olga Mitchell to her post-op appointment on the outskirts of Boston today. I took Shadow with me, hoping to walk with him. But the walk was short as I got a phone call from friends to help me think through my housing dilemma. Since I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, the phone call required I go back to the car to sit down and concentrate on the conversation. Talking through the two alternatives was very helpful, and even though it is more expensive, I am going with the house in downtown Falmouth. I love the house, the yard, and the close proximity to Heather and Jed and to downtown. I feel that is worth the extra money. The alternative, a condo, is just not my style.

Shadow, Olga, and I stopped at Costco on the way home today. They stayed in the car while I ran in to get a few items for the week in Vermont. I am in charge of food, so tomorrow, in addition to packing, I hope to do a little cooking and finish most of the shopping. The last items that need refrigeration I will buy on Saturday morning and put them directly in a cooler in the car. I just don’t have the room to buy and store things that need refrigeration.

Tomorrow is ready, set, and Saturday is go. Can’t wait to be with Heather and Jed, Justin and Jo, and the Fab Five grandkids in Vermont. Just hope there is some snow. It was 62 here and in Boston today. A little too warm for snow!

2023 Life Logs, Day 46: Taking Care of Business
Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Windy, Warm; High 53, Low 47 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 6:38 am – 5:17 pm (+2 minutes)
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, NH

This morning I had to rise early to call my sister’s doctor to see if he could make a visit to her today. She has been experiencing dizziness. The last time this happened, the doctor thought dehydration was the cause, and a little water solved the issue. That was the case today, but it took a few phone calls to deal with that. Then I had to deal with my own health issue. Last night I developed a cough with no other symptoms, and it continued this morning. I was also feeling a little achy, so I did a home Covid test. It was negative and as they day proceeded, the cough receded. Still, I felt that I should contact my friend Olga that I am taking to Boston to a post shoulder replacement appointment tomorrow. She is 89 and her daughter who lives with her has COPD, so I certainly didn’t want to expose either of them to any respiratory illness. In the end, they decided to go ahead and have me drive Olga. We will both wear masks and hope that does the trick.

I went from health issues to housing issues. I received the offer of a second housing possibility from another friend and I took time to evaluate that. I reached out to family and friends to get their opinion, and at the end of the day, I am sticking with my first offer. But it was a nice feeling to know there are options out there. In the afternoon I had a chiropractor appointment, came home and took a short nap to try and ward off this cold or whatever I have, and then went into town to take Ollie to his saxophone lesson. I switched gears after taking Ollie home and did some food shopping for the week in Vermont. When I got home I had my weekly Misfits order of fruits and vegetables sitting on my porch. So, some of this evening was spent putting food away.

Whew! It exhausts me to just read through the events of my day. I was all over the place, but at the end of the day, things are good. I have to leave here at 8 am to get Olga to her appointment on time, so to bed it is now.

2023 Life Logs, Day 45: Happy Valentine’s Day
Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 50, Low 30 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 6:39 am – 5:16 pm (+6 minutes)
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, NH

I started my day reading an essay by my grandson Sam. He sent it to me last night and asked for my input. I felt privileged that he would ask. It was about how online schooling during the pandemic affected him as a student. Very insightful and I learned a thing or two. Then it was time for my monthly book club. This month the meeting was on Zoom, and we discussed Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Great book that I highly recommend.

The weather has been so mild and perfect for walks with Shadow. So we had a nice long walk and playtime outside this afternoon. And before I knew it, it was time to head downtown to meet three friends from my dining-in group for a dining-out experience. It was just me, Midge Frieswyk, and Terry and Olivia White this month, so we decided a simple night out was best. We went to a Mexican restaurant downtown for Taco Tuesday. Most of us had the $3 tacos and they were very good. I got one with cod and one with scallops. Yummy. I stopped by the Goldstones on my way home to drop off a box of Valentine candies and to wish them a Happy Valentine’s Day. And Happy Valentine’s to all of you. I can’t get candy to you, but I can think ‘sweet’ thoughts about you!

2023 Life Logs, Day 44: Planning Day
Date: Monday, February 13, 2023
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Overnight; High 43, Low 33 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 6:42 am – 5:13 pm (+0 minutes)
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, NH

Today was a planning day. Planning for a move and, more immediately, planning for the family trip to Vermont. At this point, things are looking a bit sketchy, but I am sincerely hoping they brighten up a bit in the next day or two. First of all, the news I received from Justin yesterday about Jo and Coco being very sick was not encouraging. Then I keep checking the weather and it looks like we could get rain next week, not snow. No, no, no. No rain, please. But since I can do nothing about either of those situations, I did get into food planning gear. Heather and I had made a list of meals and I spent part of today refining that and getting a complete shopping list together. Much of what is on the list is in my pantry. So, I have been pulling things out and beginning to fill bags.

After talking to Heather and Jed last night, I reached out to my friend with the possible house rental to let her know that I am 100% sure I want it and she got back to me letting me that 100% it is mine. So now I can move forward knowing where I will live next. I love the property and the house and am getting excited about the move.

The other planning I did today was for a presentation on The Voyage of Windbird that I will give on March 2nd to the Upper Cape Ski Club and another one in June at the Atwood Museum in Chatham on the Outer Cape. The Voyage of Windbird is still in demand.

2023 Life Logs, Day 43: Super Bowl Sunday
Date: Sunday, February 12, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 45, Low 36 degrees F
Sunrise and Sunset: 6:42 am – 5:13 pm (+2 minutes)
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, NH

My morning was spent thinking through preparations for the family trip to Vermont. Justin called and said that Coco and Jo have been very sick for the past week and that Coco still has a high temperature. We are all hoping they recover quickly and can still make the trip, but we just have to wait and see. My afternoon was spent baking granola and preparing a couple of contributions for a Super Bowl evening with the Goldstones. I arrived an hour before the game so that Heather, Jed, and I could spend some time talking about my housing situation and the possibility of renovations so I can eventually live with them. But that is going to take time, so for now, we all agreed that the rental of my friend’s home is the way to go.

Then it was on to the Super Bowl. Half of us were for Kansas City and half for Philadelphia. But we were mostly watching for the commercials, which were a bit of a disappointment in our opinion. And even though a Rhianna half time show was not the Pebbles’ cup of tea, we all enjoyed the first half and half time together. I then headed home and had to watch the remainder of the game in Spanish I kept getting a message that my television is not set up for 4G. I’ll have to figure that one out later, but I was thankful for English captioning!