2020 Life Logs, Day 29: Leader of the Pack
Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 39 degrees, Low 24 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Today I had my first training session as a puppy owner. The first thing I learned is that Shadow thinks he is the leader of the pack, not me. And in an hour and a half I was given instruction on how to move myself into the leadership position. It all sounds so easy, but it is not. Shadow is a smart and headstrong puppy and I have to be smarter and more headstrong. We’ll have another ‘class’ in a week and half and we’ll see if I am able to be carry through with the instruction. Here’s the basic premise of the Dogman Training: “Dogs are domesticated wolves. To live successfully with your dog, you must be the pack leader. In order to get that message thru to your dog, there must be corrections. We use the leash and collar to correct our dogs because a correction on the neck makes sense to the dog.” It requires using a chain collar on Shadow and pulling or snapping it with the leash every time he doesn’t comply with instructions. I hate the idea, but I did see that it works. So, I will give it my best try. Already he walks with me on walks, not pulling me along. One of my assignments is to get him to sit and stay while I put food in front of him for a full five minutes before letting him eat. I managed 45 seconds today and that was not easy. So, we shall see. But I do like Joe, the trainer, and I will at least complete class number two before deciding if this is the training program for me and my Shadow. And the one really good thing about the session was that Shadow loved meeting Joe’s eight-month old puppy named Stubby. Shadow has not been around many other dogs, but he interacted very playfully with Stubby. Joe suggests I start taking him to the Dog Park to play with other dogs.

I took Ollie to his violin lesson this afternoon and afterwards we went to the Falmouth Pet Center and bought a couple of new fish for my aquarium. Ollie chose two Neon Tetras. Then tonight I played Mah Jongg. That is another challenging hurdle for me. Try as I might, I still can’t get all of the rules straight. But I love being with the group of women I play with and will continue on for the rest of winter and spring before deciding if this is something I want to continue.

2020 Life Logs, Day 28: Update from Puerto Rico
Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Weather: Overcast; High 41 degrees, Low 26 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Justin called early this morning just to say hello and I was able to get a bit of an update on what is going on with the earthquakes in Puerto Rico. They are still happening, but not as many and not quite as strong as they were. But he did say that the quakes had been down in the 3’s, but more recently the intensity has gone back up into the 4’s. All Justin really knows is that people there are wondering if they have already had the BIG quake or whether all the quakes they have been having are leading up to an even bigger one. He said that one expert has weighed in saying that he believes the 6.4 quake on January 7 was probably the big one. But no one knows. Justin said that there are hundreds of people living in temporary camps on the south coast as they have lost their homes. He and Jo are very grateful that they live far enough away from the epicenter to only feel the tremors when the quakes approach the 6 level. They are grateful that they chose the home they chose to buy in the location they chose as it has served them well through the hurricanes and now the earthquakes. They do have the aggravation of not having water or electricity on some days, but that seems minor compared to what others are going through. Still it is hard on the nerves. Here’s hoping the tremors end soon.

I spent most of my day writing and meeting with Christina Brodie to do peer review of the pieces we have written for our Memoir Writing class. I found the peer review process very helpful and so did Christina. So we plan to continue to meet in person to review future pieces. When I left Christina’s I had just enough time to come home to get Shadow and take him to Heather and Jed’s to wait for Ollie to walk home from school. He had a tennis lesson at 4:30 but Jed had to go to the dentist with Jonah and Heather had to take Sam to his weekly drum lesson. That left me to take Ollie to the tennis lesson. I used the opportunity to do a laundry load and while Ollie was in his lesson, I took Shadow for a walk. So a very productive two hours. Tomorrow morning Shadow and I have our first class with the trainer here at home. This could be most interesting. I’ll fill you in tomorrow night.

2020 Life Logs, Day 27: Mundane Monday
Date: Monday, January 27, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 43 degrees, Low 30 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

No earth-shattering news from here today. It was a mundane Monday. I did make an appointment with a dog trainer and I spent time organizing any writing I have done to date that might be included in a book about the Voyage of Windbird. Then there was reading, working on what I think is another impossible 1,500 piece puzzle, walking, walking, and playing with Shadow, and doing some cooking. Mundane. But let me share a quote about mundane from B, F. Skinner. “Even the mundane task of washing dishes by hand is an example of the small tasks and personal activities that once filled people’s daily lives with a sense of achievement.” I did wash dishes by hand today since I don’t have a dish washer, so after reading this quote I am feeling a sense of achievement! More seriously, however, making progress on my writing does give me a sense of achievement and I will continue with that tomorrow morning. In the afternoon, I meet with a friend from the Memoir Writing class we are taking to do a peer review of our writing. It gives me a sense of excitement to finally be making some progress on writing.

2020 Life Logs, Day 26: Shadow Gets a Winter Coat
Date: Sunday, January 26, 2020
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 48 degrees, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Ollie, Jonah, Shadow, and I spent our morning together at my house and Shadow was much better behaved than last night. Still, I will contact that trainer on Monday. Just after noon, I took the boys home. Sam had just gotten home from his Boy Scout Klondike Camp Out weekend. Sam was frustrated that the weekend didn’t go perfectly, but that’s the never-ending story of a perfectionist. Yet, even though he is much younger than some of the other boys, he is the leader of his patrol and he was very proud that they won third place in the weekend events. We are all so proud of his developing leadership skills. Congratulations, Sam.

Sam has been very concerned that Shadow doesn’t have a winter coat and that problem was solved this weekend. Next door neighbor, Melissa Keefe, had a beloved dog named Ginger for many years that died during the last year. Yesterday Heather was talking to Melissa and mentioned how distressed Sam has been over Shadow’s lack of a winter coat and Melissa offered Ginger’s coat. It is tartan plaid and has just a little room for growth. We waited until Sam got home today to give it to Shadow. Sam was so happy that Shadow will no longer need to be cold and Shadow accepted the gift graciously. The weather is going to get colder as this week progresses, so I’ll get a chance to try it out. Thank you, Melissa. I know how much Ginger meant to you and I’ll make sure Shadow makes good use of Ginger’s coat.

2020 Life Logs, Day 25: A Two Pebble Overnight
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2020
Weather: Overcast with Drizzle, Pouring Rain Late; High 49 degrees, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

It’s a Goldpebble overnight here in the cottage, but there are just two Pebbles as Sam is camping with Scouts this weekend. Today was drizzly and windy, but not cold enough to need gloves when I took Shadow walking. And even now it is 49 degrees out. Sam might be wet, but he shouldn’t be freezing. I had another laid-back day and enjoyed the evening with Ollie and Jonah. We had our favorite dinner when they come over—artichokes, corn-on-the-cob, calamari, and ice cream for dessert. Jonah ate more than I have ever seen him eat. He finished off his artichoke, then his corn, and then asked for more calamari. For a child who eats more like a bird, it was quite an occasion. He called it a feast but reminded me that he still had a little room for dessert. After dinner we watched a movie, or at least the boys did. Shadow just couldn’t settle down, so I spent most of my evening dealing with him. I would put him in the crate and think he was settled. But the minute I brought him back out, he was crazier than when I put him in. So it was back in the crate again. He just gets so excited when he is with the boys, but I have got to find a way to deal with this. That trainer that I had begun to think I didn’t need is going back to the top of the priority list. I will call on Monday and make an appointment as I definitely need guidance.

Since the cottage is so small, once I put the boys to bed, I always come into my bedroom to write my log and read and try to make as little noise as possible. I am sitting here on the bed with a sleeping puppy and I listening to the pouring rain. It is so loud that I am afraid it might wake the boys and I’m dreading taking Shadow out for his last potty break of the day. After I call the trainer on Monday, maybe I should go buy an umbrella!

2020 Life Logs, Day 24: Free and Easy Friday
Date: Friday, January 24, 2020
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 46 degrees, Low 31 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Today was just delightful and convinced me that all of my Fridays should be ‘Free and Easy’. The weather was perfect—sunny morning, a few more clouds in the afternoon, and it felt warm. No gloves, no hats, only a light weight winter coat was needed, so Shadow and I had a nice long morning walk in the bright sunshine and another slightly less sunny afternoon walk. Having Shadow has accomplished one goal and that is getting me outside to walk in the winter weather. And I am really enjoying it. Other than my outdoor forays, walks plus playing ball with Shadow, I read a chapter in the amazing book Heather gave for Christmas, worked on my puzzle while watching the Impeachment Hearings, made a necessary trip to Job Lot and the grocery store, and gave Shadow a late day bath. Surely I did something else, but if I did, I can’t remember what it was! I had wanted to go to a climate change presentation in Woods Hole tonight, but I just couldn’t get myself out the door. Instead, I cuddled a wet puppy after his bath and watched more of the Impeachment Hearings. Tomorrow is another day with nothing on the calendar, but tomorrow night Ollie and Jonah are going to come for dinner and spend the night. Sam is away at a Scout Klondike Camping weekend and Heather and Jed are going out. Shadow and I are looking forward to an evening with J & O.

2020 Life Logs, Day 23:  Reliving the Dream
Date:  Thursday, January 23, 2020
Weather:  Sunny; High 43 degrees, Low 28 degrees F
Location:  At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Friend Bruce Woodin asked me to give my Voyage of Windbird around the world presentation to his small group of ROMEOS—Retired Old Men Eating Out.  They ate in, not out, today at Bruce and Jane’s and this ROW (Retired Old Woman) gave the presentation.  I love giving the presentation as I get to ‘relive the dream’ every time I give it.  Sailing around the world was Mark’s dream and I went along reluctantly.  But by the time we got to the Caribbean, it became my dream as well.  Instead of the normal 45 minutes, I think it took me two hours to give the presentation to the group today.  There were only six of us and there were questions throughout that took extra time.  But no one fell asleep, so I felt successful!  Thanks, Bruce, for inviting me to present to your very special group of friends.  I loved the small group setting.

Because I got home later than expected, I decided to skip my afternoon Memoir Writing class and spend time with Shadow.  I hate leaving him in his crate for more than 3 hours in a day, so instead of writing, Shadow and I walked and played ball outside in the sunshine and watched the Impeachment Hearings when we came inside.  I’m starting a new puzzle, so I worked on separating out the border pieces while watching the Hearings.  Tomorrow I have nothing on my calendar, so Shadow and I can play the day away.  I do have to go to the grocery store as my refrigerator is void of fresh veggies and I’m sure I’ll find other things that need to be done, but it is a good feeling to look forward to a completely free and easy day.

2020 Life Logs, Day 22: Back to ‘Normal’
Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Weather: ; High 34 degrees, Low 23 degrees F
Location: Back Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I’ve been home for a little over 24 hours and I definitely hit the ground running. But that’s the normal state of things. Since Jed is out of town, I pitched in last night and today to help Heather with childcare. It’s the least I can do to thank her for taking care of Shadow while I was in Florida. Plus, there’s nothing I love to do more than be with my grandkids. Heather had an early morning meeting, so Shadow and I started our day playing with Ollie until it was time to walk him to school. I was very impressed with how good Ollie is with Shadow on his leash. And believe me, that is not easy. But Ollie and Heather had walked to school yesterday and Ollie obviously paid very close attention to directions and knew exactly what to do today. After dropping Ollie off at school, Shadow and I returned to Heather’s and finished up a laundry load I had started when I first arrived earlier in the morning. Once the laundry was done, Shadow and I headed home for another walk and lunch (for Shadow). Today was friend Karen Baranowski’s birthday and at noon she picked me up and we drove together to meet Olivia White and Jane Woodin for a birthday luncheon at The Lobster Trap in Bourne. We are the female half of our Newcomers Dining-in Group and we get together for birthdays every year. Happy Birthday, Karen! Today we were missing Midge Frieswyk as her husband Bill fell and broke his hip last week and had to be taken to Mass General in Boston for a hip replacement. Bill was already in a rehab center after breaking an arm and a wrist as the result of another fall. We had a wonderful lunch, great seafood, but our thoughts were definitely with Midge and Bill.

When I got home, I had an hour to spend with Shadow before our next outing. We played outside and cuddled on the couch while I caught a bit of today’s Impeachment proceedings, and then we were off to pick Ollie up after school and take him to violin lessons. We stopped by Heather’s and I asked Sam if he would puppy sit while we were gone. He was glad to do it, but when Ollie and I were about half-way to his violin lesson, I got a call from Sam. He was panicked because Shadow had nabbed a chocolate cookie from him. I have told the boys that dogs should not have chocolate, so Sam was afraid it might really hurt Shadow. I felt bad for Sam because he felt responsible. But I assured him that he was not at fault and that one little chocolate cookie was not going to hurt Shadow. I then went in with Ollie for his violin lesson. I love hearing him play. Such a delight. Then after the lesson, we headed home with Jonah and his friend Kaiden who walked over after their jazz band practice at nearby Morse Pond School.

Once Heather got home, Shadow and I headed to our house to have a quick dinner before I had to leave . . . again. Wednesday night is my Mah Jongg night. I hated to leave Shadow, but he probably slept the whole time I was away. I did come home a little early tonight to be with him as I have to leave again tomorrow morning. Right now, we are sitting on the couch, me writing this log while watching a wrap up of today’s Impeachment proceedings, and Shadow cuddled up to me sleeping. Tomorrow I give my Voyage of Windbird to a small group in the morning and go to my memoir writing class in the afternoon. Uh oh, I haven’t done the writing assignment. I might have to tell the instructor that the puppy ate my homework!

2020 Life Logs, Day 21: Happy 13th Birthday to Sam
Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Weather: Cool in Florida, Cold on Cape Cod; High 46/29 degrees, Low 37/16 degrees F
Location: Back Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

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This evening I arrived back on Cape Cod in time to be a part of a birthday dinner for Sam. He had his ‘official’ birthday dinner on Friday night, but apart from the birthday party, each year the boys get to request a favorite dinner on their actual birthday. Sam is my oldest grandchild, but I am having difficulty believing that he is already 13, a full-fledged teenager. Mark and I came home from New Zealand after our first year of cruising around the world to be here for Sam’s birth. In the 13 years since then, he has grown to be a handsome, thoughtful, loving, and talented young man. I made it home this evening just in time for the birthday dinner. Sam requested Indian so we had his favorite chicken tikki masala, vegetable korma, saag paneer, samosas, and naan. And then we had chocolate pudding with whipped cream for dessert, instead of a birthday cake, at his request. He was a happy birthday teenager.

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My short time in Bonita Springs visiting with Linda and Mike was short, but it was just delightful. This morning Mike left early to play tennis, but I got a few more minutes to visit with Garrett and Linda. Linda and I walked Garrett to the gym for a workout before he started his work day. Then Linda drove me to the airport and was returning to go play pickleball, her new passion. Thank you, Mike and Linda, for a wonderful few days. My three days there were all sunny and warm enough to really enjoy the break from a northern winter. We have had many unseasonably warm days making me feel like winter has not yet begun here, but while I was away, the temperatures plummeted. I definitely got a taste of winter on arrival in Boston.

I was very excited to see Shadow when I arrived at Heather’s and we had a happy reunion with many puppy kisses. But it was obvious that he had really enjoyed his time living with Heather and Goldpebbles. He also loves Jed, but Jed has been out of town since Saturday. Heather reported that Shadow has taken her for many brisk walks and the boys reported that after the first day, Shadow settled down with them instead of always being a wild child. All three boys seemed to really enjoy Shadow’s long weekend visit. Then when I got home with Shadow, I was busy putting things away and all of a sudden he disappeared.

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I found him up on my bed cuddling his stuffed puppy friend. I brought him back into the living room, continued putting things away, and he disappeared again . . . back on the bed with his stuffed puppy friend. He has never been able to jump up on the bed before, but it was obvious that he was ready for a long winter night’s sleep. I think maybe those boys wore him out!

2020 Life Logs, Day 20: Pool, Hot Tub, Beach, and Feast—Tough Life
Date: Monday, January 20, 2020
Weather: Cooler but Sunny; High 71 degrees, Low 47 degrees F
Location: At Home with Linda and Mike Stuart, Bonita Springs, FL

Overnight the temperature dropped, but not enough to keep Linda and I out of the pool for water aerobics. The water was warm and I didn’t really notice the chill in the air until I got out of the pool. So, Linda suggested we head to the hot tub to warm up and it did the trick. While we were in the pool, the sun burned through the cloud cover giving us another sunny day, perfect for our next foray which was to the beach. Linda and I spent the afternoon on Bonita Beach sunning and walking. I was in my bathing suit and I was plenty warm, but Linda had on her long-sleeved jacket and still felt a little chilly. I’ve always been told that’s how you tell the locals from the tourists in south Florida. When the temperature falls, only the crazy tourists are still out in bathing suits and in the water. That’s me. The couple of hours we spent on the beach were like magic. I love hearing the waves crashing on the shore and today they were doing just that. But all good things must come to an end. It was time to go buy food for dinner and get home to prepare it. Linda’s brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Mary Ellen, were coming over for dinner. Since Garrett and I were also visiting, Linda and Mike decided to get grass fed beef tenderloin steaks to celebrate the occasion. There is a farm store in Bonita that sells grass fed, grass finished beef, pork, lamb, and chicken straight from the farm that is about an hour away. The tenderloins were at least two inches thick and delicious, along with the scalloped potatoes, asparagus, and salad. We ate, drank, and talked away a lovely evening. It was late when Jack and Mary Ellen left, so I decided to head to bed. I’m writing this log on the plane ride back to Boston and will post it when I arrive.

Heather sent another ‘adventure’ photo from today. She took the boys and Shadow for a walk on the cranberry bogs that are close to their house and ventured to the huge hill of sand that the boys love to climb and slide down. Shadow was no different. He loved climbing up and running after the boys as they ran or slid down. His life is going to seem mighty boring when I get home, so I’ll make sure I arrange weekly playdates with the Goldpebbles so they can continue their adventures.