2022 Life Logs, Day 68: Endurance and Resolution
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Weather: Overcast with Rain and Snow Mix; High 40, Low 30 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I have been writing The Voyage of Windbird as individual chapters that would eventually be consolidated into a book. I have, this week, been doing that consolidation. But it is not just a simple cut and paste exercise. I am doing one more quick edit of each chapter before the transfer. In doing that, I have been rereading what I wrote about Captain James Cook. I had always been a huge admirer, so as we traveled the Pacific, I knew we were often following in his wake. He first crossed the Pacific from 1768 to 1771 on the HMS Endeavor as he traveled to Australia and New Zealand. Then he returned in the HMS Resolution when he made his second and third voyages. I wrote about how excited I was when we entered Opunohu Bay in Moorea knowing the HMS Resolution with Captain Cook had been there two hundred twenty-nine years prior.

This afternoon, I finally got around to reading the NYT’s The Morning newsletter and learned that another famous Endurance, the lost vessel of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, has been found 107 years after it sunk in Antarctic waters only four miles from where it was reported to sink in 1915. Thankfully, Shackleton and his men were ‘resolute’ and had the ‘endurance’ to escape on foot and in small boats.

Then tonight I was on Zoom watching a Woods Hole Oceanographic webinar on Antarctica that I signed up for weeks ago. I learned that there are now two National Geographic sponsored tourist ships, the Resolution and the Endurance. It was a strange day of bits and pieces of history coming together, as well as the coming together of my book.

The weather was the big surprise for me today. Every night when I write this log, I check WeatherUnderground for the high and low temps of the day. While I am at it, I always check out the forecast for the next day. Either I totally misread the forecast last night, or it was totally wrong. I thought it was going to be colder than yesterday, partly sunny and less windy. I was hoping for a lovely afternoon walk without wind. This morning it was overcast, but I kept thinking that would clear in the afternoon. Imagine my surprise when I walked outside with Shadow just after noon and it was snowing! Just in the last hour, the mix of rain and show has finally stopped. There is just a bare covering of snow on the ground, but it is white. I would like to be done with snow for this winter, but Shadow enjoyed ‘grazing’. He buries his nose in the snow and then just keeps pushing ahead, eating bits of snow as he goes. He was having fun, but we did not have a lovely afternoon walk.

Mid-afternoon my friend Detta from New Hampshire called. While we were talking, I was looking out the window and saw some really big birds ‘grazing’ in the woods between my side yard and the water. I squinted and looked more closely and realized the really big birds were Mallard ducks. Ducks in the woods? As I talked, they ‘grazed’ their way up the hill and into my side yard. That has never happened since I have lived here. Between the geese that have been advancing from the front (also has not happened since I have lived here until now) and the ducks advancing from the side, Shadow and I are becoming overrun with goose and duck poop. Yuck. That is no fun at all. But maybe we can have a lovely afternoon walk tomorrow. It is forecast to be partly sunny, almost not wind, and no precipitation. We shall see what really happens.

2022 Life Logs, Day 67: Marvel Movie Education
Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Weather: Sunny, Windy; High 51, Low 29 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Today was a school early release day, so I picked up Ollie and Jonah just after noon and we headed to my house to continue watching a movie we started during the last early release day. The movie was a Marvel movie named “Eternals.” The Eternals are a genetically engineered race who came to Earth and can live forever. In the movie they emerge from hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from the ancient Deviants. The Eternals are like a gang trying to do good. Some can manipulate and transform matter through physical contact. One can fly and project cosmic energy beams from his eyes while another can project cosmic energy projectiles from his hands. Then there is Thena, played by Angelina Jolie, who can form any weapon out of cosmic energy and developed a close bond with Gilgamesh over the centuries. Gilgamesh was the strongest and kindest member of the Eternals. As I watched I thought of the Eternals as Ukrainians and the Deviants as Vladimir Putin. I wish the Ukrainians had the powers of the Eternals!

I have a very hard time following these movies, so I have to Google the characters to understand what is happening. And certainly, the Eternals is not a movie I would choose to watch, but I enjoy watching with the boys and ‘expanding my horizons’. We have sometimes watched Marvel Spiderman movies or Star Wars movies that are not part of my Marvel movie education. I enjoy it all.

Otherwise, my day was more of the same—walking with Shadow, working on my current jigsaw puzzle, and working on my book. I will continue those things tomorrow, minus the Marvel movie.

2022 Life Logs, Day 66: Woohoo, Finished the First Edit
Date: Monday, March 7, 2022
Weather: Overcast, Windy; High 53, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

When you have a boat, polishing the stainless is a never-ending job. When you are writing a book, the editing is never ending until the book is published. But I did finish my first edit of the entire book today. Woohoo! Book One has a Preface, a Prologue, and 17 chapters. And I am so excited that a friend in North Carolina has offered to be a Beta reader. At this point on my team, I have my English teacher editor, Christina, plus a local woman who has her own publishing company, Laura. They have been reading from the beginning. I will add Kevin and Claire and Patsy, the friend in NC. Now I am in the process of combining all of the chapters into one document and am finding that as I am doing that, I am making a few changes. Hopefully that will be done this week and the reading can begin. The Voyage of Windbird, Book One, has entered a new stage. Soon I will begin writing Book Two. Can I possibly write it in one year? Check back in March 2023 for an update on that.

This afternoon Shadow and I went for an ‘interview’ with friends who might volunteer to keep Shadow for me when I travel. The friends are Meghan the “goat lady” and Sheri, Olivia and Terry White’s daughter. When I say the “goat lady” I mean the owner of the goats that are hired out to clear property of poison ivy and other unwanted plants. Meghan’s business is called Get My Goats. Meghan and Sheri have a dog the same age as Shadow, but he is a big black lab, plus they have the goats, and chickens. The ‘interview’ today was to see how the two dogs got along and how Shadow related to the goats and chickens. They were fenced today, and that part went fine. But Shadow did his pitiful yelping thing with their dog Griffin at first. He does when he meets a dog that he feels is superior to him. Griffin could not be more calm and pleasant, but still Shadow yelped. He finally stopped that and then began his usual jumping on people and running like a crazy dog. He and Griffin ran around outside. Shadow was twice as fast as Griffin, and unfortunately, he continued to run around and jump on people once we went inside. He is always calm here at home unless I have company. Then he is a rascal like he was this afternoon. After an hour, I suggested I bring him back and drop him off one day to see how he does when I am not there. Hopefully he will be better behaved in my absence. So, the jury is out as to whether this will work as a place for Shadow to stay when I travel. I would love for it to work out. We shall see.

Later in the afternoon, I went to see Jonah’s artwork at the middle school art show. The art teacher has every student do a pencil portrait in black and white and one with color added, a pottery ‘ugly’ mug, a piece of cut folded paper art, and a colorful poster. It is always interesting to see the artwork of Falmouth’s seventh and eighth graders. My favorite thing about Jonah’s art is his very distinctive JBG signature And I loved his ugly mug. It was really ugly! All of Jonah’s art was impressive, but I really liked his black and white pencil portrait.

2022 Life Logs, Day 65: Broken Record–Still Editing
Date: Sunday, March 6, 2022
Weather: Overcast with Rain, Windy; High 51, Low 45 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I know I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but I am still editing. My goal of completing my editing of The Voyage of Windbird, Book One, by 4 pm on my birthday was not realized. And I am still editing. I have one chapter to go, and hopefully tomorrow or the next day I will finish. But what then? I wait for my friend who does the first ‘English teacher’ edit to complete the last four chapters. Then I can self-publish a few copies for beta readers. I just got this idea today while talking to my friends Kevin and Claire in Guaymas, Mexico. Kevin asked me when he and Claire could become beta readers. I had heard the term, but he explained it in more detail. If you aren’t familiar with the term, it is a layperson who reads the work to offer constructive criticism, or to help edit. I do have one beta reader who has read all but the last four chapters to give constructive criticism. Her input has been invaluable. Now I will search for others who are interested. Kevin and Claire want me to send the book electronically. If you are reading this and would be interested in becoming a beta reader, please let me know. I would love to have you on my team.
Kevin and Claire had hoped to have their sailboat, White Raven, in the water by now and be living aboard in the Sea of Cortez. But repairs are taking longer than they hoped, so now they have set their goal to have enough of the upgrades and repairs done so that they can at least get the boat in the water to check things out before leaving Mexico for the summer. Kevin knows from being there last summer that July is just too hot, plus it is hurricane season. Hopefully when they return in October, they can get White Raven back in the water and begin their live aboard life next cruising season.

2022 Life Logs, Day 64: Three x Twenty-five
Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022
Weather: Sunny; High 39, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

The first gift for my 75th birthday was waking to a bright, sunny morning. Then the Facebook, text message, snailmail and email birthday greetings started coming in. How wonderful it was to hear from so many friends and family members, both far and near–sailing friends from Australia, Kevin and Claire in Mexico, Linda and Mike in Colorado, Lynne in New Zealand, Leslie on vacation in Hawaii, Alan and Helaine in Dedham, Detta in New Hampshire, nieces and nephews on vacation in Florida, high school friends, dear friends from my days in the Concord, New Hampshire and the Seaford, Delaware school systems, friends from our years living in southern West Virginia, friends from Mark’s days at New Hampshire Public Radio, and my wonderful friends here in Falmouth. Friendship is the greatest gift of all. Thank you for thinking of me on this special day.

As I reflected on my 75 years, I decided it was easiest to think of those years in three sets of twenty-five, the three stages of my life to date. The first twenty-five were spent growing up and getting an education. The second twenty-five were spent with Mark building our family, building homes, and building our careers. The third twenty-five were focused on sailing and travel. Now what? Three quarters down and one quarter to go. I love to write, and I love to spend time with my grandchildren. Those are the things that fill my days in the beginning of this fourth quarter. It will be exciting to see where things go from here.

This morning I went to the Falmouth Science Fair. Sam, with good friends Robert and Sebastian, won third place in their category and were awarded $200. They were elated and went to Hyannis to the Brazilian Grille for a celebratory lunch. Jonah and his friend Jean-Luc were awarded High Honors for their project for which Jonah was extremely proud. Both teams completed their projects without help from parents. The boys are really growing up. So proud of them.

Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco sent presents that arrived today. I received a rack that holds three glass vases for growing plants hydroponically and a frame for air plants. The air plants will arrive next week. During the holiday season I saw the rack with the glass vases at the nearby garden center and almost bought it on three different occasions. But I refrained, telling myself it was an extravagance that I couldn’t afford. Justin and Jo must have read my mind as I never mentioned it to anyone. So, I was delighted when it arrived today. Then they called via Skype video, and we had a wonderful visit. I got to see Ziggy’s guinea pigs, his hamster, and the dogs. Coco told me about her football (soccer) games and Ziggy showed me the clay figure he used in his latest animation. I can’t wait until April when I get to see them in person.

Tonight, I went to Heather and Jed’s for a sushi dinner and game night. When I arrived, Sam was whipping the cream to top the chocolate decadence cake. After filling ourselves with sushi, we cut the cake. Honestly, it was the best birthday cake I have ever had. Heather insisted I bring some home to have for breakfast and I’m looking forward to that. She finished the afghan she has been working on as a gift for me and it is gorgeous. Plus, they gave me an ‘out of this world’ pottery serving plate. I say it is ‘out of this world’ not only because it is beautiful, but because it contains meteorite particles that came from the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, literally out of this world. When meteorites are cut up for research and display purposes, there are small waste pieces that result from the cutting. A potter from Celestial Ceramics in West Bethel, Maine, incorporates the waste pieces in the glaze of his pieces. After dinner and presents, we played Trivial Pursuit and had a ball. Ollie decided to be the card reader. There was a question about Malcom X. When Ollie misread it as Malcom the Tenth, I was not sure Heather and Jed were going to recover from the laughter. It was a lovely evening and the perfect way to celebrate a birthday.

2022 Life Logs, Day 63: Just Editing
Date: Friday, March 4, 2022
Weather: Sunny and Cold; High 30, Low 22 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Not much to report on this eve of my 75th birthday. Three-quarters of a century? Can’t possibly be true, I say to myself. March 4th was my mother’s birthday. If she were still living, she would be a celebrity because she would have turned 114 today. She was born in 1908. I was born when she was 39, when my brothers and sisters were all in their teens. Only one sibling is still living, my sister Patsy. She will be 89 this year, is suffering from dementia, and doesn’t remember that tomorrow is my birthday. Her husband, who passed away in 2019, shared my mother’s birthday. But when I talked to my sister tonight, she didn’t remember that either. So sad. But I don’t want to focus on the sadness. I am just excited to start planning for the next twenty-five years! I’ve always wondered what I will be when I grow up. I guess it is time to find out.

The editing is never ending. I made progress today, but I will have two and a half chapters to go. I can’t see how I can get it done by 4 pm tomorrow, but I am going to continue to try. If not by then, by the end of the weekend for sure.

2022 Life Logs, Day 62: Belfast
Date: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 42, Low 15 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Tonight, I finally got to watch Belfast. I had hoped to watch it last week, but it wasn’t available to rent until March 1. I could have bought it last week, but I waited. What an important story Kenneth Branagh brought forth in such a powerful way. Buddy, the young boy at the heart of the story, and his Pop, his grandfather, were my favorite characters, but the entire cast was top notch. Last week when I couldn’t watch Belfast, I watched The Power of the Dog. It was too dark for me, but the acting was superb. Next, I want to find a way to watch Dune.

The rest of my day was spent editing. I am making progress. Still not sure I can finish the first edit of all sixteen chapters by 4 pm on Saturday, my self-imposed deadline, but I am hopeful.

The Falmouth Public School Science Fair is on Saturday. I captured a couple of photos from Facebook today of Sam and his good friends Sebastian and Robert celebrating the completion of their entry. Mark and I came home from Australia for Sam’s first birthday and met Sebastian at the birthday party. I can’t believe those beautiful babies are so grown up. I will go to the Science Fair on Saturday to check out the projects.

And I’ll end with a little rant about the cold weather. I just got in from taking Shadow outside and it is cold out there. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and seriously cold. I have enjoyed the winter to this point, but I am ready for warmer weather!

2022 Life Logs, Day 61: More Like a Lamb Today
Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Weather: Sunny; High 45, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

The weather was more like a lamb today. There was sunshine and continued warmer temps. But that ends tomorrow night when the thermometer plunges back into the teens. Most of the snow and ice has thawed, but not all of it. Spring still seems far away. In the meantime, I planted my first seeds indoors today.

Today Karen Baranowski and I went to visit her aunts and my friends and sometimes next door neighbors, Shirley and Doris. Doris is 103 and suffered strokes last summer that left her without mobility and speech. Due to care issues, she will not be returning next door. Hopefully Shirley will get to come back for a period of time this summer. But today, Doris was sitting in a seat next to a window looking out onto the North River in her home in Scituate—a beautiful view. Shirley, who will turn 97 in June, is reading her way through this winter. She had already read the books I sent her a week or so ago and was ready for more. It was a beautiful day for a drive, a good visit and the sunshine brightened all our lives.

I returned home and spent the afternoon editing. My editing has changed my chapter numbering, but of the original 18 chapters, today I completed the first edit round of chapter 13 (now chapter 11 of 16). I don’t think it is possible, but my goal is to try to finish the last 5 chapters in two days. I would love to have the first edit round completed by my birthday on Saturday. Unrealistic. Yes. Impossible. No. I have until 4 pm on Saturday to finish. That is when I go to Heather and Jed’s for an evening of playing games and eating sushi to celebrate my birthday.

2022 Life Logs, Day 60: Lion Declaration
Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 42, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I don’t remember ever having to make a decision about whether or not March came in like a lion or a lamb. It is usually clear cut. Today there were no roaring winds, no pouring rain, no raging blizzard. It was a few degrees warmer this morning than the past few days and the sun was shining early. Then the cloud cover came in and the wind increased and felt icy despite the warmer temperature. But is that ‘like a lion’? And where did this lion versus lamb thing come from anyway? The Farmers’ Almanac says it is folklore that stems from ancient beliefs in balance. The weather at the start of March is bad like a roaring lion, then to be in balance, the month should end with good weather, gentle like a lamb. Or visa, versa. After considering all of this I declare that it came in like a lion. I sure hope it goes out like a lamb.

The women in my dining-in group have started the tradition going to lunch together to celebrate each birthday. Due to travel schedules, we combined three birthdays into one luncheon and that was today. One birthday was on February 21, one is March 3, and mine is on March 5. One of us turns 74, one 75, and one 76. That’s 225 years of wonderful life. We had lunch in The Atrium at the Daniel Webster Inn. It was a beautiful venue, and it was great to be together.

2022 Life Logs, Day 59: Still Frozen
Date: Monday, February 28, 2022
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 31, Low 18 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

The world here in Falmouth is still frozen. It seems to be getting icier each day. Everyone keeps saying, “Tomorrow it will thaw.” But tomorrow comes and everything is still covered by an icy sheet of snow. Maybe tomorrow!

A big chunk of my day was spent with a veterinarian trying to figure out Shadow’s various gastrointestinal issues. It has always been a struggle to find food that Shadow will eat. About six months ago, he basically chose to start eating just once a day. His dry food is always available, but he only eats that once every couple of days. Evidently eating only once a day can lead to stomach issues. So here we are. The vet gave me a probiotic to administer twice a day and said to feed him twice a day. He is hoping that will solve the problem. I sure hope it is that easy and that there is not something more serious causing his problems. My little guy is rambunctious and sometimes downright obnoxious when other people come to visit. But even with all of the issues, I really don’t know how I could live happily without him. He has become my ‘best bud’.

This afternoon I made New Orleans style gumbo to have for dinner tomorrow night in celebration of Mardi Gras, meaning “Fat Tuesday” in French. I will share the gumbo with Heather. She loves it, but Jed is allergic to French and the boys will probably not touch it. “Fat Tuesday” is a day of gorging on rich and fatty foods in order to be ready for Lent. Lent starts on the following day and continues for 40-days leading up to Easter and traditionally spent fasting.

While on the topic of preparing for “Fat Tuesday”, I should mention the most delicious chocolate covered strawberries I have ever had in my life. First, I should divulge that chocolate covered strawberries are second only to artichokes as my favorite foods. Yesterday when I went to Heather and Jed’s to say hello, Heather had just fixed a huge tray of the chocolate strawberries. Not only were they beautiful, they were truly delicious. She sent me home with four. I had two last night and two tonight. Yum, yum, yum. Thank you, Heather. And if I continue like this, I am going to have to fast for 40-days!