2020 Life Logs, Day 238: RNC, Night 3
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Weather: Sunny and Cooler; High 73, Low 55 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

Today I had a great visit with my nieces, Lynn and Candi. It was a two hour drive north to Chelmsford, Massachusetts and a three hour drive during rush hour home, but it was worth it. Lynn looks amazing good despite what she has been through in the past few weeks. We had a picnic lunch in a gazebo on the grounds of Lynn’s apartment complex and then I took Lynn to a local AT&T store to get the data from her iPhone synched with her new iPad. She handled all of that just fine, but when she walks, she really needs to have her oxygen with her. However, the tank she has is so big and unwieldy.

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There are small, compact portable oxygen concentrators that weigh only 2 pounds and I think she deserves to have one of those. They are expensive and I’m not sure they are covered by insurance, but if it were me, I’d definitely want one of those. I will plan to visit her every week or so this fall if she is up to having visitors. I think the visits will depend on how she handles the chemotherapy. I did get to meet her new little kitty named Susie. What a cutie and such wonderful company for Lynn.

There is so much happening in this country tonight that it was hard for me to really pay attention President Pence did mention that all of us are thinking of the people in the path of Hurricane Laura and he did acknowledge the devastation to those who have lost family members to the coronavirus. But many of his claims about the national leadership during the virus were just not true. And I think his argument that Joe Biden presided over the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression was a weak one. When I see the graphs that show the steady, yes slow, but steady, rise in the economy over the 8 years that Obama-Biden were in office, and how that upward movement simply continued under Trump, I think that rise is quite amazing. The law and order part of Pence’s speech made me cringe. The situation in Kenosha, Wisconsin right now, the Milwaukee Bucks canceling their playoff game tonight in protest which caused a domino effect of other teams cancelling their games—none of this was mentioned. I think maybe the Republicans highlighted the wrong heroes.

After watching from afar as Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico in September of 2017, and then not knowing for four days if Justin family were okay, I’ll never be able to keep my heart from aching as I wait to hear how another hurricane has affected the lives of people. Hurricane Laura is due to make landfall on the Louisiana side of the Louisiana – Texas border between 1 and 2 am. The only good news is that this hurricane is making landfall in an area that is not highly populated. But for the people that do live there, it will be devastating. We can all only hope the storm surge does not live up to the projections. It all depends on exactly where it makes landfall. I’m hoping to wake up in the morning to hear a best case scenario. Even best case will be devastating, but better than the worst case.

2020 Life Logs, Day 237: RNC, Night 2
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 83, Low 59 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

I’m tired. Tired of tomatoes, tired of hearing people at the Republican National Convention drone on and on about how dangerous they perceive Joe Biden to be, tired of hearing them label anyone not supporting Donald Trump as a socialist, and tired of seeing a President abusing his power by using the White House, the People’s House, as a backdrop for political campaign. Never mind that the Hatch Act makes it illegal, it just seems wrong. And then there was the Secretary of State addressing us in a political speech from a rooftop in Jerusalem. No wonder I’m tired! At least Melania Trump acknowledged the deaths we have experienced in this country from the coronavirus pandemic. As far as I know, the President has never acknowledged this. But enough about that.

Sixty pounds of tomatoes have resulted in 25 pints of marinara sauce. The other the 30 pounds have been blanched, peeled, and deseeded, and await processing in the refrigerator. I’ll work a bit on that tomorrow, but I leave here around 10:30 in the morning to head north to Chelmsford to visit with my nieces, Candi and Lynn. I have not mentioned in my logs that Lynn has, just in the past few weeks, been diagnosed with advanced cancers. She actually has two different cancers which have metastasized. She had three weeks of chemo and then had to be hospitalized due to fluid in her left lung. She got home last week and will start chemo again on Thursday of this week. So, I really wanted to visit with her before that and tomorrow suited all of us best. I am picking up lunch and we will eat and visit outside her apartment building, keeping our social distance. It breaks my heart to think about Lynn’s situation. When Mark was going through his battle with cancer, I was always there to help him. I said at the time that I really didn’t know how people who live alone negotiate the whole cancer treatment regime. But Lynn insists on staying alone in her apartment. Her sister Candi and one brother, Brad, live close by and check on her constantly. It is wonderful that she has the support, but it is just not the same as having someone with you all the time to anticipate your needs. But Lynn is determined. I can only admire her determination.

2020 Life Logs, Day 236: RNC, Night 1
Date: Monday, August 24, 2020
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 81, Low 68 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

When the first speaker at tonight’s event said that President Trump is “the body guard of Western civilization” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. But it really isn’t funny. He is anything but the body guard of Western civilization in my opinion. I heard that the Convention this week was going to be upbeat, but tonight the whole thing was very negative with too many lies, dangerous lies, to keep track of. I really don’t say this from a partisan point of view. Lies are lies, and they are painfully obvious. Tonight was just such a stark contrast from last week’s D20 that I had a hard time adjusting. Maybe it will get more positive in the next couple of days.

On the positive side, Heather, Jed, and boys arrived at Grammy Marti’s in Boothbay, Maine. They left here around 11:30 am and got there by 5:30 pm. They made great time. I do hope they have two weeks of relation and fun, but I will miss them so much. When I look at my calendar, however, it will be a busy two weeks for me and I think the time will fly by.

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2020 Life Logs, Day 235: Up to My Elbows in Tomatoes
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2020
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Breezy; High 81, Low 68 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

Last night when I wrote my log, I named it “Knee Deep in Tomatoes.” I named it that because the 5-gallon buckets of tomatoes came up to my knees. Today as I processed 60 of the 90 pounds, the resulting peeled and deseeded tomatoes filled a pot that is as tall as the length from my wrist to my elbow. Thus, “Up to My Elbows.” Tomorrow I will add the other ingredients, cook down the sauce, and start the canning process.
Then on Tuesday, I’ll attack the last 30 pounds plus the five and a half pounds I picked from my garden today. The organic sauce tomatoes that I am processing are San Marzanos and Alpacas and are shaped like Roma tomatoes that are common in grocery stores. Not big, but lots of them. When I’m finished, I know I will be happy with the harvest, but I probably won’t want to see another tomato for quite some time.

Late this afternoon a man came to my front door. He was wearing a Covid mask and had an official looking name tag on, but he really didn’t identify himself. I went to the door and Shadow went ballistic. That’s when I saw that he had a very large dog sitting out in the driveway. I tried to calm Shadow and the gentleman said he was looking for 35 Madeline Road. I assured him this was not it. But he continued saying that 27 Madeline is one side of me and the next house is 41 Madeline. He asked, “Where are the houses with numbers in between?” He asked my name and my phone number. That’s when I finally asked him who the hell he was. Was he from the Census Bureau? Yes, he was, but it would have been comforting if he had started with that identification. Anyway, when I assured him there were no houses in the woods that surround my cottage, he was satisfied and ready to move on. But then he invited Shadow out to meet his dog, Ashley—four times the size of Shadow. He assured me Ashley was very well trained and dog friendly. Since Shadow was VERY anxious to go out, I let him go. Ashley was a little too aggressive for Shadow and Shadow was a little too energetic for Ashley. But they got along okay until Shadow started chasing Ashley, causing Ashley to jump the four feet across one of my raised garden beds, knocking down the iron fence stake and the chicken wire fencing on one side of the bed. With all my strength, I could not right the iron stake. I will have use a sledge hammer tomorrow to straighten the stake. But thankfully, Ashley was okay. I have just never seen a dog jump that long and high. There are zinnias in the bed that are 2-3 feet high and she cleared them with no problem. More like a horse than a dog. Then she ran into the bike rack on the back of my car. I suggested to the gentleman that he should take his dog and leave while the dog was still alive! Interesting encounter.

2020 Life Logs, Day 234: Knee Deep in Tomatoes
Date: Saturday, August 22, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny; Late PM Thunderstorm; High 84, Low 63 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

I woke up this morning to an email ‘ding’ on my phone. It was Carrie from Peach Tree Farm saying she had 70 pounds of organic sauce tomatoes for me. I usually try to get no more than 30 pounds at a time as it is exhausting to process more than that at one time. But last year I took only 30 pounds and then there were no more. Even with the drought this year, the tomato crop is good, but Carrie explained that they are coming in quickly and will be gone within a week or so. I gathered my 5-gallon buckets and a couple of boxes and headed to the farm to pick up the tomatoes. When I got there, Carrie actually had 90 pounds. Did I want them all? I decided yes and divided the tomatoes between my 5-gallon buckets and boxes trying to put about 15 pounds in each.

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I didn’t want to get home with a container that was too heavy for me to handle and inadvertently put a strain on my back. When I got home and started carrying the tomatoes inside I suddenly felt like I was knee deep in tomatoes. I will be blanching tomatoes, peeling off the skins, removing the seeds, putting what’s left through the Vita-Mix, adding other ingredients, and then cooking down and canning the sauce that should fill enough pint jars to get the Goldstones and myself through the next year . . . and maybe beyond. Year before last I processed 90 pounds and that is what got us through this last winter since tomatoes were so scare last summer. Could happen again, so my motto is, “Make tomato sauce while you have tomatoes.” And the timing is perfect. This will give me something to focus on while Heather and family are on vacation.

It was a beautiful day, but things started to change mid-afternoon. First the thunder came, then it got very dark, the wind started blowing, and finally came a deluge of rain. I was just getting ready to drive over to Heather and Jed’s to pick up some canning jars and deliver some fried green tomatoes when the rain started. I was sure it wouldn’t rain, but as I was walking to the car, the heavens opened. I rushed back into the house, not before getting drenched, and waited for things to settle down before driving into town. Jed is feeling great. His fever, stiff neck, and achiness have gone away and the tell-tale bull’s eye on his torso is disappearing. Hopefully taking the doxycycline early enough will reduce the risk of acquiring Lyme disease from what we are assuming was a tick bite. I am so happy that he doesn’t have Covid and is feeling good and will be able to head to Maine with the family for a couple of weeks of vacation starting on Monday. Heather has to work half-days this coming week which she will do online from Maine, but then the second week she is unplugging for a few well-deserved days of full time vacation.

I had a long phone conversation with friends Linda and Mike Stuart today. They have ended their ‘round the world bike touring for now and are trying to get settled into an apartment in Lakewood, Colorado. Bike touring, touring of any kind, during a pandemic is just not safe. And besides, they become grandparents in November and want to be close enough to see that grandbaby. However, after traveling almost 30,000 miles on their bikes since August of 2014, settling into an apartment during a pandemic has been challenging. It is difficult to meet people and it is difficult to furnish an apartment. They ordered a bed but the delivery has been delayed until who knows when. So they are still sleeping on their camp mats. But they have made some progress. They now have a table, a car, and a phone. Hurray! Now I can talk to Linda. And hopefully they will start meeting some people, at a distance, of course, and settle into their new life in Colorado.

2020 Life Logs, Day 233:  Celebration
Date:  Friday, August 21, 2020
Weather:  Sunny; High 78, Low 67 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

Jed got the results of his Covid test this afternoon—negative!  News that deserves a celebration.  But good friend Bruce Woodin said it best, “I never thought I would be glad to hear someone had a tickborne disease, but in the days of Covid that is sort of good news!  Particularly since it is eminently treatable with antibiotics.”  Jed is feeling so much better since starting the round of doxycycline and hopefully that will continue and he will be able to enjoy the family vacation in Maine.  Sam lost a filling last night and had to have an emergency dentist appointment today.  The filling was replaced and I hope that is the end of their medical emergencies for a great while.  The whole family got Covid tests this morning and will be heading to Maine as soon as the results return.  I will not be able to see them before they leave as they should have no contact with anyone until they arrive in Maine.  I will miss them terribly and will look forward to their return.

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Since Jed’s Covid test results were negative, I can now see others without fear of transmitting the virus.  That news came just in time for me to go to a gathering of my Newcomers Wine Group.  We had planned to meet on the beach but then realized that consuming alcohol on the beach is illegal.  Good citizens that we are, we made the decision to meet in Eileen and Billy Sullivan’s front yard.  The beach would have been fun, but not the responsible choice.  We all brought our own chairs and food and individual small bottles of wine to share.  We are four couples and two singles.  So, ten of us in total.  It is a great group of people that I truly enjoy getting together with.  We plan to have September and October gatherings outside before having to go back to meeting on Zoom.  But whether in person or on Zoom, we always have a great time together.

2020 Life Logs, Day 230: D20, Night 3
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 76, Low 60 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

This has been a strange week. Normal life has been disrupted due to Jed’s symptoms of what we do not know—but that we learned a little more about today. That, plus the fact that today was the official roll-out of the rebranding of Woods Hole Research Center to Woodwell Climate Research Center—the project that has consumed all of Heather’s time for months–made today a turning point. Heather called early this morning saying that the rash on Jed’s stomach was looking more and more like the bull’s eye that accompanies a deer tick bite that results in Lyme Disease. Not good, but better than Covid, if caught early. Jed had a late afternoon video appointment with his physician who agreed with that assessment and started him on Doxycycline, just in case. We still have to wait for the results of his Covid test, but with social distancing and masks, I joined the Goldstones on their deck tonight for a sushi dinner celebrating Heather’s accomplishments. The heavy burden on Heather’s shoulders was certainly lighter tonight. So congratulations to her for a job well done. Jed joined us from a distance and seemed to be feeling okay with the use of Advil. If his temperature goes down after starting the Doxycycline tonight, that will be a indication that the problem has been a tick bite. But it can take longer than 12 hours to take effect, so we will just have to muddle through until the Covid test results return. Still, it was a hopeful day.

Then came night three of the Democratic National Convention tonight. I literally broke down and cried like a baby when I heard Barack Obama say “Don’t let them take away your democracy.” I’ve never heard him speak as he did tonight. This was not a political speech, but rather an earnest warning to the citizens of this country that we could be on the brink of losing our democracy. He was followed by Kamala Harris where she shared the story of her life. I have been amazed at how the DNC has crafted a virtual convention that has definitely kept my attention for three straight nights. They have truly show-cased the depth and breadth of the people of this country while moving forward the Biden-Harris ticket. Looking forward to night number four.

2020 Life Logs, Day 232: D20, Night 4
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 76, Low 63 F Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

I’ve never watched a political convention where I wished I was taking notes. But tonight was one of those nights. So many important things were said that I wish I could remember, but can’t. When Cory Booker quoted a family member, maybe it was his grandfather, said something like ‘liberty ain’t free, you got to work for it’, I knew I needed my note pad. The Democratic National Convention was some of the most emotional television I have ever watched. Tonight when thirteen-year-old Braden, a stutterer from New Hampshire, told his story of how Joe Biden helped him, it was quite a moment. The story of Joe Biden’s life that has had more than its share of sorrow was told, but it was shown how he has always turned that sorrow around to hope. And tonight in his acceptance speech, Joe Biden gave us all hope in a this very trying time. Biden nailed it with his acceptance speech. The contrast between light and dark was very effective and his statement that he would be the President of all the people, not just those who vote for him, brought us back to what a President of this great country should always do.

And speaking of trying times, I am so frustrated with how long it takes to get results of a Covid test and what that means to so many people. On the positive side, Jed seems much better now that he has started taking the doxycycline in case his problem is from a tick bite and not Covid. So that is reassuring. But it would be nice to have the results of the test he had on Tuesday morning. Maybe tomorrow?? Myself, Heather, the Goldpebbles, and anyone else Jed saw in the days prior to the onset of his fever are all in self-quarantine waiting for the results. And because Heather and family are supposed to be heading to Maine on Sunday or Monday on vacation, they all, even Jed, have to get a Covid test tomorrow morning and then they cannot see anyone until they get the results and head to Maine. It sure would be so much easier for so many people if test results were available in a shorter period of time. It was not until late this evening when I talked to Heather that I realized I would not be able to see them this weekend. So, I hurried over to say goodbye. Of course, if Jed’s test results are positive, there will be no vacation. We just have to wait and see.

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I spent a really lazy summer day sitting on the dock reading and watching the egrets, giving Shadow a bath and then going back to the dock with Shadow to read while he dried out in the sun. I also spent time sitting in my yard reading and watching the insect activity in my gardens. Last year there were lots of Monarch butterflies, but this year the Swallowtails are dominating. And there are so many bees doing their pollinating job. Cucumbers are coming in and Black-eyed Susans are blooming next to towers of beans. Tomatoes are ready to pick and the pink flowers of Echinacea, the zinnias, and the sunflowers are attracting both bees and butterflies. Beautiful to watch.

2020 Life Logs, Day 230: D20, Night 2
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Weather: Sunny, Windy Day; High 78, Low 62 F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

Just finished watching the second night of the Democratic National ‘Virtual’ Convention and I was quite impressed. I didn’t think they could keep my interest for a second night. How could anyone top Michele Obama’s speech from last night? But they did keep my interest. And Jill Biden’s speech was so different from Michele Obama’s that no one would even try to compare them. I loved tonight’s roll call, seeing the little vignettes from every state and territory in our country. And the Biden story was told so masterfully, ending with the wonderful speech by Jill Biden. We saw her falling in love, becoming a mother, loving her role as an ed ucator, becoming a runner so she could survive, and being fiercely loyal, not only to her family, but to all who reach out with a need. And we got to see who Joe Biden is and has always been. It is so reassuring to see someone who has been in politics for his entire life and has always fought for the same values. Kudos to the DNC for a job well done.

My friend Alan Kanegsberg had a total shoulder replacement today, so I’m sending him healing thoughts tonight. And my son-in-law, Jed, continues to battle with symptoms of what, we don’t know. He did get a Covid test this morning, but he won’t have results for two or three days. In the meantime, we are staying separated and self-quarantining until we get the results. I did come up with an idea today where Heather could drop the boys off here where they could spend the day outside. Maybe not totally safe for me, but it would give them a change of scenery for the day and give Heather and Jed a much needed break. Heather’s big roll out of the name change from the Woods Hole Research Center to the Woodwell Climate Research Center happens tomorrow, all virtual, of course. So I thought it might be helpful to her to not have to deal with the boys. We’ll see what happens. The plan was for the Goldstones to head to Maine for a two week vacation beginning on Sunday or Monday. But now they have to wait until they get the results of Jed’s Covid test before they can move forward. And even if it is not Covid, he needs to feel better than he does now before taking off on a road trip. Sure hope things turn around for him soon.

2020 Life Logs, Day 229: D20
Date: Monday, August 17, 2020
Weather: Drizzle with Wind, Turning Sunny Late PM; High 70, Low 64 F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

It seems like an eternity ago, but it was only four years ago that Mark and I watched the Democratic Convention 2016. A few weeks later, Mark died. So tonight, when I watched the first night of the 2020 Democratic Convention, D20, I thought of Mark constantly. He was deeply political. When I met him, he was a borderline anarchist. I was the total opposite—a total believer in the established democratic way. This difference in our political views was the source of many “interesting” discussions when we first met. Things changed over the years. I came to believe more like him and he came to believe more like me. In his last days in 2016, he was sure that Donald Trump could never be elected President, but I feared he was wrong. I truly don’t think he could envision the mess we are in now. But I know he would have enjoyed hearing Michele Obama’s speech tonight. She speaks from the heart and makes it clear why she is often at the top of the charts as the world’s most admired woman. It was interesting watching the first night of the virtual convention. I loved the theme, “We the people . . . “ The evening was much more interesting than I thought it would be, but can the Dems keep this going for three more nights? We shall see.

I had the day off today. I started early with an appointment with my neurosurgeon to review my back’s progress. He was very pleased that it appears that things are healing naturally. His projection is that in another month, I should be back to normal and be able to resume all activities. Actually, I’ve already done that for the most part, but I am very, very careful. I have not started an exercise regime, however, and he suggests waiting another month before doing that. Walking and biking were the recommendations for now. So, no talk of surgery and no need for a cortisone shot. Things are on the right track. I just hope I can keep it that way.

When I got home from the appointment in Hyannis is was still early and I had the whole day before me. Heather sent a text last night saying Jed had a slight temperature, so she thought I should not expose myself by being with the boys until we figure out Jed’s situation. He’s feeling better today, so tomorrow we will reassess.