2022 Life Logs, Day 178: Another Birthday . . . Happy 97th to Shirley
Date: Monday, June 27, 2022
Weather: Overcast, Rain Tonight; High 74, Low 60 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Shirley Wiedemann is the woman who owns the cottage I rent, and over the past four years, she has become a dear friend. Tomorrow is her 97th birthday. My friend Karen Baranowski is Shirley’s niece, and we decided that we would love to take lunch to her in Scituate where she is presently living with her 103-year-old sister, Doris. Peter went with us and we provided a lunch of lobster rolls, French pea salad with watermelon, and chocolate pudding pie for dessert. When we arrived, Shirley was deep into a Nora Roberts novel. I love that she is still an avid reader and that her mind belies her 97 years. Happy Birthday, Shirley!!!

When I got home, I took Shadow for a walk and then took Sam to Corner Cycle as a customer rather than an employee. The shirt I gave him for his Big Brother birthday gift was too small and he asked if he could get bike shorts instead of a shirt. That was fine with me and with his employee discount we got a great deal on the shorts. Tomorrow morning Sam has his last final and afterwards we will take off for Boston. I am taking him to South Station to catch the bus to Damariscotta which is near Boothbay. Grammie Marty will pick him up there and he will spend two days in Maine and take the bus back to Boston on Friday as he works both days of the weekend. The rest of the Goldstones will head to Maine on Thursday and return on Sunday. We are entering a new era with a working teenager. I am so proud of Sam for taking the initiative to get a job and still find ways to visit with family.

I finished my evening with a phone call with friend Lynne Kirwin who arrived in this country from New Zealand last week. She visited with family and friends in California and then flew to Michigan where she will spend the summer with family. But I learned tonight that she will be coming for a short visit on Cape Cod in late July. It has been almost three years since I have seen her, so I can’t wait.

2022 Life Logs, Day 177: Happy 13th Birthday to Jonah
Date: Sunday, June 26, 2022
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 81, Low 65 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Another grandson became a teenager today. Jonah celebrated with friends with an overnite party and this evening we celebrated as a family. Soccer and music and books were the themes for his gifts. He got the World Cup soccer ball of his dreams from Jed, a gift certificate to We Are Soccer from Oma, a trilogy of books from Heather, and Grandma Marti is giving him two electric guitars that belonged to his Uncle Ben. He was a happy thirteen-year-old.

Heather and I drove just across the bridge to Onset to see another sailboat today. It was a Cape Dory 33 she found advertised by the owners on Craig’s List yesterday. She is still waiting to hear from the owner of the Cape Dory 36 in Maine, but since the 33 was so close to home, she thought we should go take a look in case the deal falls through for the boat in Maine. The sailboat today was named Anteris and is owned by a delightful young couple. They took us out to the boat in their dinghy and gave us a personal tour. I think Heather is still hoping for the Cape Dory 36. It is just ‘bigger enough’ to make it feel more comfortable for a family of five. But the saga continues.

2022 Life Logs, Day 176: Busy Saturday
Date: Saturday, June 25, 2022
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 83, Low 62 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Beautiful weather . . . busy Saturday getting not much done, but having fun doing it. I drove to town to get my car washed by Scout Troop 38, Sam and Jonah’s troop, stopped by Heather’s to say hello, went to the grocery store, and did some other shopping for Heather and Jed. By the time I got home, there was just enough time to take Shadow for a short walk and head back to the Falmouth Green for the rally in response to yesterday’s Supreme Court decision. I met up with Heather, Jed, Jonah, and Ollie who biked to the rally. The one encouraging thing was that there were many more young people out today than there have been at past rallies. At the end of the gathering, I headed back to East Falmouth to pick up Jonah’s birthday ice cream cake from Smitty’s while Heather and Jed rushed home to get ready for his friends to arrive at 4 pm for games, pizza, and an overnight 13th birthday party. Then I headed home once again, this time to fix appetizers and get dressed for dinner with friends at Christina and Warren Brodie’s home. We had appetizers on the deck, enjoying the truly warm evening . . . finally. And then we had a wonderful dinner while enjoying the beautiful view from their dining room.

2022 Life Logs, Day 175: The Un-United States of America
Date: Friday, June 24, 2022
Weather: Mostly Sunny, STILL Feels Cool; High 73, Low 59 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

After today’s Supreme Court decision, I no longer feel like I live in the United States of America. We are anything but united. After the announcement of the reversal of Roe V Wade this afternoon, I have felt like I am floating around in a world I don’t recognize. We all knew this was coming, but that didn’t soften the blow. Guns, abortion, losing our democracy . . . we are having to face all of these things at once and it is overwhelming. I tried to get outside and garden, but I was unfocused and even found that difficult. Tomorrow I will attend the rally on the Falmouth Green. Maybe talking to others will help. But tonight, I will go to bed feeling like I do not live in the country where I was born, a country that was always striving to move forward. Over my 75 years, we have made strides forward, but we are now in a downward spiral to which I see no end.

2022 Life Logs, Day 174: From Greenland, NH to Dedham, MA and Home
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2022
Weather: Mix of Sun and Clouds, Clear Late Afternoon; High 68, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Shadow and I woke up at Tom and Detta Porat’s in Greenland, New Hampshire, drove to Dedham, Massachusetts to visit with Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg, and shopped our way back to the Cape. Then at 4 pm, I headed to the Cape Cod Winery to attend the second, now annual, Wear White Summer Celebration hosted by Billy and Eileen Sullivan. Billy and Eileen are in my wine group, and most members of the that group were at this delightful event. Then I spent this evening catching up on what happened in the January 6th Congressional Hearings this afternoon. What a whirlwind of events.

I really enjoyed my visit with Alan and Helaine this morning. They just returned from Reno, Nevada, where they attended the high school graduation of their only grandchild, Torston. I enjoyed hearing about the graduation and Torston’s plans for the future. Helaine, Shadow, and I took a long walk and I got to see Helaine’s gardens. Alan shared with me that he had called Heather last night to share his opinions on the Cape Dory 36 she and Jed have been in the process of purchasing. If they do decide to go through with the purchase, Alan has generously offered his services to help with the the electrical and other miscellaneous work that needs to be done. When I got home, I talked to Heather and found out that both the survey and the return of the owner of Eider from vacation in Ireland have been delayed by a day. Hopefully sometime this weekend, Heather and Jed will have the surveyor’s recommendations and can get a response from the owner as to what he is willing to negotiate. A deal is looking a little more positive, but we just have to wait and see.

2022 Life Logs, Day 173: Afternoon with Detta and Leslie, Evening at NHPR
Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Weather: Another Beautiful Day; High 67, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home with Tom and Detta Porat, Greenland, NH

What a wonderful afternoon I had in Rye, New Hampshire having lunch with my good friends Leslie Kole and Detta Porat. Then later in the afternoon I drove to Concord, New Hampshire to for a celebration of New Hampshire Public Radio’s 40th anniversary. Mark would be so proud of how his visions have been fulfilled. Then I drove back to the coast to Greenland, New Hampshire to spend the night with Tom and Detta. Shadow stayed with them while I went to Concord, and by the time I returned, he had bonded with their dog, Attie.

Tom and Detta are in the middle of a major renovation of their home. Right now it just looks like a major construction site, but the replacement of what was called the cottage attached to the main house is going to be a gorgeous addition. The basic structure is completed so I was able to get an idea of what it will be like. The huge windows looking out on the Great Bay will provide priceless views. It should be completed in the fall, and I can’t wait to return and see it completed.

2022 Life Logs, Day 172: Happy Birthday to Jo
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Weather: Beautiful Day, Still Coolish; High 67, Low 56 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

On this first day of summer, my daughter-in-law Jo celebrated her 45th birthday. Justin is still in Virginia, but I am certain that Ziggy and Coco helped her celebrate in style. Happy birthday, Jo!

In April, I bought new tires for my little Honda Fit. In May, I had to have one of the new tires replaced as I had picked up a nail. On Saturday when I was downtown, a gentleman noticed that my right front tire looked almost flat. On my way home, I stopped by Sullivan Tire and, sure, the tire was almost flat, and I had driven on it enough to damage it. It had to be replaced. That happened this morning. So that was first step in getting ready for my road trip tomorrow to New Hampshire.

Tomorrow evening, I am going to the 40th anniversary party for New Hampshire Public Radio in Concord, New Hampshire. Mark led the way for 15 of those years and I know he would be so proud of the progress that has been made since 2005 when he retired so we could sail around the world. I am attending tomorrow night to celebrate for him. And as long as I am traveling to New Hampshire, I decided to go early and have an afternoon with good friends, Detta and Leslie. Shadow will go with me so he can visit with Leslie’s Quinn and Detta’s Addie. That means driving to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for the afternoon, and then driving the hour to Concord for the evening and then back to Portsmouth. Detta will dog sit while I attend the celebration. On the way home on Thursday, I plan to stop to see Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg in Dedham and then shop my way home from there. There is a lot of driving, but it will be worth it to spend time with friends. Then, at 4:00 pm on Thursday, I will meet with my wine group at the local winery for what has become an annual summer celebration. I think I’ll sleep in on Friday morning!

2022 Life Logs, Day 171: Dining-in at the Goldstones on Juneteenth
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022
Weather: Sunny, Still on the Cool Side; High 69, Low 57 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I had hoped to sneak out of the house at 8:30 am to drive to Yarmouth to pick up Sam, Jonah, and Jeremy, a fellow Scout who lives in their neighborhood. While I was still in bed, however, I heard Ollie start coughing, and soon after he was up. He was feeling okay but had decided that he would stay home alone for the couple of hours that I would be gone getting his brothers. I got him settled in and then off I went. I arrived at the camp at the appointed time of 9:30, but it was well after 10 am before they had finished cleaning up the camp. Then we packed up, got the three bikes on the bike rack, and took off for home. We went straight to my house to check on Ollie and Shadow. They were fine. And I left Sam there so he could cut my neighbor Andrew’s grass for Ollie. It was obvious that Ollie shouldn’t be doing that.

I took Jonah, Jeremy, and all the gear home, made a stop at the grocery store, and then returned to my house to pick up Sam and Ollie. We knew Heather and Jed would not be home until almost midnight and since it was a school night, the boys needed to be home. I knew all of this ahead of time, so I had arranged for my dining-in group to come to Heather and Jed’s for dinner. It was my turn to host and rather than cancel or change the date, I figured we could pull it off. We did it, but it did take all three boys and me. Ollie and Sam unpacked the van which had deck chairs, a table, and half my kitchen. Later Sam helped set up things on the deck. Since Ollie had a cold, he stayed out of the kitchen, but he could read recipes to me, step by step, from the living room. It was decided that I would be in charge of the salmon and Sam would be in charge of the grilled potatoes. People started arriving at 4 pm. I had not even had time to braid my hair in the morning and had planned to at least comb my hair and get on nicer clothes before everyone arrived. That didn’t happen. But I excused myself to get dressed and just twisted and banded yesterday’s braid, added a scrunchie, and I was ready.

The dinner was wonderful. We had prepared to eat outside, but as the sun sunk lower in the sky, the wind kicked up, and we decided to move inside. Bruce and Jane provided the appetizers–leek pizzas with mushrooms, artichokes, and pine nuts. Delicious. Alaskan Coho salmon was the entree and Sam’s marinated and grilled potatoes were a real hit. Midge added a tray of colorful roasted veggies, Terry and Olivia brought the salad, and Peter and Karen topped off the evening with Karen’s crunchy ice cream cake—vanilla ice cream mixed with chocolate coated Rice Krispies. Yummy and a special treat for the Goldpebbles as well as the grown-up kids in attendance!

It was almost 8:30 pm by the time everyone left and time for the boys to get ready for bed. Lights out for Jonah and Ollie is 9 pm and Sam stays up and reads for another hour or so. The boys talked to Heather and Jed before bedtime, and we found out their ETA was 11:15 pm. It took most of the that time for me to clean up the kitchen and finish the laundry loads I had started earlier. Then when Heather and Jed did get home, Jed drove me home in the van with all my gear. He brought me up-to-date on the results of the survey and sea trial and the news was not good. There are issues that need to be addressed, so there will not be a closing on Monday. The owner is in Ireland and will be home on Thursday. Heather and Jed will get the written survey by then and the negotiations will begin. Depending, Eider might or might not be the boat for Heather and Jed. We just must wait and see if the owner is willing to fix the issues or reduce the price of the boat enough to make it worth while for Heather and Jed to take on the fixes. Heather was very disappointed. But things might still work out. Fingers crossed.

2022 Life Logs, Day 170: Happy Father’s Day
Date: Sunday, June 19, 2022
Weather: Overcast with Intermittent Rain; High 58, Low 50 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Happy Father’s Day to all of you who are fathers, but most especially to my two favorite fathers, my son and my son-in-law. Neither got to be with their children today. Well, Jed got be with Ollie for half the day before he and Heather left for Maine, but Sam and Jonah are on a weekend biking trip. And Justin is still in Virginia. But I’m sure they both felt the love being sent their way.

The morning was dreary and rainy with the exception of about 15 minutes when the sun came out. It went away quickly, and the rain returned. It was just dibble dops, not a hard rain, but it continued on into the afternoon. Mid-afternoon Heather and Jed arrived with the van and with Ollie. They headed on to Boothbay where they are sleeping tonight, but by 8 am they need to be two hours further downeast from Boothbay for the survey of Eider. After the survey, the sailboat will be put in the water, and they will get aboard for the sea trial before heading home. They are hoping to be home by midnight tomorrow night. In the meantime, I will pick Sam and Jonah up from their biking adventure tomorrow morning and we will spend some time mowing grass for my neighbors and then go to their house to get ready for my 4:15 dining-in friends to arrive. We are meeting at Heather and Jed’s so the boys can get things ready for school the next morning and put themselves to bed. Shadow and I will sleep on the sofa and be ready to head home when Heather and Jed arrive. Or maybe we’ll stay there for the night. It all depends on when H & J get home.

Ollie and I had a lovely afternoon together. He has a terrible cold, but he is feeling okay—just lethargic. I helped him work a globe puzzle ball and he helped me take apart the shelves I use to start plants, transport them to the basement, and put them back together. And on his own, he took the screens for my living room windows from the basement upstairs and installed them. He seemed to really enjoy helping. Then we started another 300-piece jigsaw puzzle called “Strut Your Mutt”—lots of dogs and their owners. We did that one on a portable frame so we can take it with us tomorrow. Then it was dinner and get ready for bedtime. Ollie and Shadow are fast asleep in the guest bedroom and I am going to follow suit and get to bed early tonight. I have to leave here by 8:45 am to drive the 45 minutes or so to pick up Sam, Jonah, and a friend. I’m hoping Ollie can sleep in and just be getting up when we return.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring “that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward, shall be free.” But it took another two and a half years for a Union Army Major General to ride into Galveston, Texas, and issue General Order No. 3 proclaiming that the enslaved African Americans there were free. That was on June 19,1865 and it became known as the Juneteenth Independence Day. Now, one hundred and fifty-seven years later, today was finally the first June 19th that we are celebrating as a national holiday. The holiday is tomorrow, but today was the day. “Let Freedom Ring.”

2022 Life Logs, Day 169: Celebration in Falmouth
Date: Saturday, June 18, 2022
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Turning Cooler; High 71, Low 51 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

There is one thing Falmouth really knows how to do and that is celebrate. Downtown today was one big celebration. Arts Alive, a showcase of all the arts, was on display on Main Street today. Mullen Hall, the downtown elementary school was having its end-of-school-year carnival. And further down Main Street, St. Barnabus Episcopal Church was having its annual Strawberry Festival featuring lobster rolls, barbecue of all sorts, and strawberry shortcake. We had one little snag, however. Ollie was supposed to play violin as part of Arts Alive this morning, but he coughed all night and hardly slept. He tests negative for Covid, so he probably just has a cold, but Heather didn’t want to chance passing this to others by having him play with Sonnay Fiddlers inside a tent. Eventually, we did all go downtown, but Ollie stayed masked in hopes of not spreading the cold. Despite not getting much sleep last night, he was feeling okay and we had a great day welcoming summer to Falmouth. The weather, however, did not get the message that summer arrives on Tuesday morning. The high today was 71 degrees F, but the wind from the north felt cool. Tomorrow the high will be 60 degrees. That is going to feel downright cold!

Tomorrow Heather and Jed leave for Boothbay, ME, and then on to Brooklin, ME on Monday morning for the survey and sea trial of Eider. Ollie will stay with me tomorrow afternoon and night, and on Monday morning we will drive to Yarmouth to pick Sam and Jonah up at Camp Greenough at the end of their weekend biking adventure. Then on Monday afternoon, the Goldpebbles and I will host my dining-in group on the Goldstone’s back deck. Heather and Jed hope to be home by midnight on Monday night and out the door early on Tuesday morning for Ollie’s end-of-year school assembly. Whew! We are moving in the fast lane these days.