2019 Life Logs, Day 105:  More Organization at the Goldstones
Date:  Monday, April 15, 2019
Weather:  Stormy Early, Mostly Overcast with Drizzle PM; High 57, Low 40 degrees F
Location:  At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

What a stormy early morning we had.  I had an 8:30 am physical therapist appointment, so I had to go out when the wind was blowing and the rain was pouring.  There was even rolling thunder.  And, of course, there was no place to park close to the entrance when I got there, so I had to walk a ways in the pouring rain.  I came home after the session to finish my breakfast and then I headed to Heather and Jed’s to help Heather with her project for the day.  She brought boxes and boxes containing years of Sam, Jonah, and Ollie’s school/art work.  Every year since Mark and I ‘landed’ in Falmouth, Heather and I have talked about organizing the boxes that mounted with each additional year.  Today was the day and we got the job done.  Well, almost done.  We sorted, recycling those things that didn’t need to be kept.  We ended up with a pile of art work and a pile of writing for each boy.  The writing will be kept, but the art work will be photographed and then recycled.  After four hours of this, we were both getting worn down.  About that time, I came across half a cardboard egg carton that had been made to look like a ship.  It was flying flags and I said I thought I had found the Mayflower.  When I looked more closely, there was a figurehead . . . and it was turkey.  I think because we were so tired, Heather and I both started laughing uncontrollably.  It wasn’t THAT funny, but I’m sure you have experienced moments like that.  I will never, ever look at a picture of the Mayflower again without seeing that turkey figurehead.  Heather had to take Jonah to guitar lessons at 4 pm, so we stopped for today.  We actually got Ollie’s art work photographed and will have to do Jonah’s and Sam’s on another day.  But in two days, we have tackled the two tedious basement organization jobs that have been put off for too long.  I call that a WIN.  I had all kinds of plans for things to do when I got home, but I actually sat down and started working on my latest puzzle and kept going until it was almost dark.  It was then that I turned on the TV to check the news from the day.  That’s when I found out about the fire in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  What a tragic disaster, but the good news is that the responders got the fire under control and have announced that they think the integrity of the stone structure will hold, that history will be rebuilt and preserved.

2019 Life Logs, Day 104: Warm, Sunny Surprise
Date: Sunday, April 14, 2019
Weather: Beautiful AM, Turning Overcast with Rain; High 63, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

This morning and into the early afternoon we had a warm, sunny surprise. It was sunny and in the 60’s. It was the warmest day we have had this spring, but unfortunately, it didn’t last. By mid-afternoon the clouds had taken over and then the drizzly rain started. But at least we had a beautiful start to the day. It was wonderful. I enjoyed a slow start to my day and then headed over to Heather and Jed’s to haul a couple of my things out of their basement. When I arrived I was greeted by the boys telling me that momma was in the backyard and that they were preparing a surprise lunch. I could come inside, but not into the kitchen and I was invited for the surprise lunch as well. Jed had to go to work for part of the day, so he was not at home to enjoy the lunch. At some point the boys realized they had to walk to the corner store to buy bread for the sandwiches. Once they got home and Heather and I were on the deck, our waiters gave us some choices for lunch. We put in our orders and lunch was served. Heather was so impressed with the sandwiches that she declared she no longer needs to pack lunches. The boys can do it for themselves! Well, that was not a particularly popular idea, but it is great to know that they can if need be. After lunch, Heather and the boys had to go to a Scout commitment and I headed home, but I invited Heather to drop the boys off to kayak later in the afternoon and I invited them all to come to dinner. I headed to the store to get a couple of things I needed which turned into a longer ordeal than I planned on. The grocery store where I shop is on strike, so I went to the only other grocery store in town. It was jam-packed with people and didn’t have everything I needed for dinner, so I had to drive north to Mashpee to a grocery store there. They still didn’t have exactly what I wanted, but at least they had a substitute. I got home, put groceries away, they arrived, but they were determined to get out in the kayaks. Jonah didn’t stay out long, but Sam and Ollie stayed out for almost two hours. I split my time between the dock and the kitchen. When it started drizzling, I spent more time in the kitchen, but the Sam and Ollie weren’t phased. It was almost 5 pm when I went down to the dock to tell them it was time to head in for dinner. By this time, it was raining a little more seriously and two very wet little boys eventually came inside. They stripped their wet clothing and headed directly to the shower. They were still in the shower when Heather and Jed arrived, but we finally coaxed them out in time for dinner. I love days like today. Nothing was planned. It just evolved. And it evolved into a very relaxed, fun day for all.

2019 Life Logs, Day 103: Rainy Day Activities
Date: Saturday, April 13, 2019
Weather: Overcast with All Day Drizzle; High 54, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Every night I check the weather and every day for the past four, the forecast for this coming week has gotten cloudier and rainier. At this point, there is no sunshine in the forecast. A lot of parents with kids on spring vacation are going to have to come up with lots of rainy day activities. I had talked with Heather and Jed ahead of time and offered my services for some of their spring cleaning and organization activities . . . and some gardening as well. Soccer games were cancelled for today, so this afternoon I attacked the mountain of hand-me-down kids’ clothing that is stored in the basement. There are the hand-me-downs from one brother to another and hand-me-downs from friends in sizes 6, 7, 8, 10, 10-12, 12-14. Lots of clothes! I took them out the bins that have gotten jumbled with sizes over the past couple of years and after five hours, they were all back in bins labeled by size and type of clothing. One job checked off the To Do List. Heather and Jed worked on basement reorganization and planning for the many gardening projects that are part of what will be a multi-year reorganization of how the various spaces in their yard will be used. I think the impetus for the reorganization is to make space for playing soccer in the backyard instead of in the front as it becomes barren by the end of summer no matter how hard Jed works in keeping the grass growing. The problem being that the only really flat area in the backyard is currently the vegetable garden. So slowly, the vegetable garden will be moved to deep beds in other parts of the yard and eventually the vegetable garden will become a soccer playing area. Yesterday 9 yards of garden soil was delivered and is sitting in the drive-way. Some of that will go into new deep beds and some will go into the boys’ dirt digging area. It is getting a facelift with new borders to hold the dirt in. Rain or shine, the Goldpebbles find things to do in that dirt digging area. And what else do they find to do on a rainy Saturday? A friend in Woods Hole called and invited them to come play soccer in the mud. Perfect! Ollie is still not feeling 100 per cent, so he stayed home with me while I continued sorting and he played with Joey next door. Jed took Jonah and Sam to Woods Hole to play in the mud and Heather went to a late afternoon yoga class. It will be interesting to see what other rainy day activities they come up with this week.

2019 Life Logs, Day 102: A Day with Ollie
Date: Friday, April 12, 2019
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 51, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

A cold that has been coming on got Ollie down this morning and he just wasn’t up to going to school. Heather called to see if I could spend the day with my favorite seven year-old little boy and I was happy to do it. Ollie was a little sad that he was going to miss special play opportunities at school on this last day before spring vacation, so we came up with a list of play activities that we could do together at home. I took advantage of being there by bringing my laundry to do, but other than doing that, I spent the entire day playing with Ollie. Tomorrow should be a soccer day with two games, but due to the forecast of morning rain, those games could be cancelled. If so, I’m hoping to turn my attention to spring cleaning projects. Fun, fun.

2019 Life Logs, Day 101: PT, Tech Tips, and Farm to Table
Date: Thursday, April 11, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 49, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Busy day. I headed to PT by 8:20 am and didn’t get home until 10:30. I have only three more sessions and then I am on my own. According the physical therapist, I am doing great, and I have to agree. There are still a few weeks of healing to go, but I am super pleased with the progress to date. Mid-afternoon I headed to the public library for a Technology Tips class on using OneNote or EverNote on my computer and phone. These are just apps that allow you to take quick notes on one device that are automatically synced to the other device. Great way to keep track of things. I came home to have dinner and then headed back out for the monthly Newcomers Meeting. The April meeting is always in the evening and this one was especially interesting to me. It was entitled ‘Farm to Table’ and many of the local farmers were there as well as groups focused on gardening or growing plants for gardeners. If it would just warm up, I would love to start thinking seriously about gardening.

2019 Life Logs, Day 100: What’s Up Below
Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Weather: Mix of Sun and Clouds; High 48, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I’ve been watching a docu-series online called Broken Brain 2 hosted by Dr. Mark Hyman. He is my go-to health guru, so a couple of years ago when he hosted Broken Brain (the first) I watched intently. The current series is an update on the new information we have learned in the interim. I don’t have a broken brain, at least not yet, but with a family history of Alzheimer’s, I watch to learn. What I learned from this recent series reinforces what I have learned in the past. We used to think that genetics ruled. But now we know that genetics plays a part in everyone’s health, but it is the way we live that determines 90 per cent of our health status. We have to eat well, keep moving, get a good night’s sleep, have positive social connections, have strong relationships with friends, pay attention to our spiritual selves, and have stable emotional health. In tonight’s program, the last of the series, it was this last piece that grabbed my attention because one of the things the experts say is best for maintaining stable emotional health is journaling. If you stretch the definition of journaling to include my nightly logs, I should have very stable emotional health! I just counted it up and I have written 5,920 nightly logs since October 18, 2005. True journaling would include more introspection than I include in my logs. They are more a history of each day. But as one expert in tonight’s program pointed out, when humans started writing, it was the beginning of our history, and my logs are my history since 2005. I titled tonight’s log, “What’s Up Below”, as that is what Mark Hyman said comes out in good journaling—those feelings that are beneath our actions. As he said, emotions of all kinds come into our lives each day and writing those out at night can help keep you grounded. Then the program went on to talk about how important it is to practice gratitude. And that made me think about those of you who still read my nightly ramblings. I feel so connected to you. You are a huge part of my life and I am so grateful you are there. My life is not nearly as exciting to read about these days as it was when Mark and I were traveling the world, but I can’t stop writing each night and I am so grateful you are there. Some of you I have never met, but I feel a deep connection. Thank you for being my friends and for making me a healthier being.

I usually try to keep politics out of my logs, but I got a message on Facebook today from a friend of Mark’s. It was from a website called “Americans Against the Republican Party”. To my friend Rich in Cincinnati, please don’t take this personally. I’m just writing ‘what’s up below’. The message from the friend was a photo of Donald Trump and next to him was this list:
No Books,
No Friends,
No Music,
No Curiosity,
No Patience,
No Integrity,
No Compassion,
No Empathy,
No Loyalty,
No Conscience,
No Courage,
No Respect,
No Character,
No Morality,
No Honor,
Not Even a Dog.
Whatever you think of Donald Trump or the Republican Party, having the things on this list would be a good thing. I have been ‘thinking’ about getting a dog. This closed the deal. I am ‘getting’ a dog!

2019 Life Logs, Day 99: VOW Presentation and Goldpebble Pick-up
Date: Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Late; High 48, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

This morning I drove to the Lower Cape to give my Voyage of Windbird presentation to the Harwich-Chatham Newcomers Club. The labeling of geographic regions on the Cape can be very confusing, but if you think of the Cape as someone’s arm being flexed to show off their bicep, the place I visited today would be near the elbow. The presentation began at 9:30 am and ran for an hour, but then with questions, it was almost 11:30 when I headed home. I think everyone enjoyed the presentation and I always enjoy reliving those wonderful years sailing around the world. The drive from Harwich to home is about 45 minutes, so once I got home, I had lunch, did a few chores, and then it was time to go pick up Ollie. He had a 3 pm dentist appointment in Woods Hole, so I delivered him to Heather. At 4:30 I went to pick up Jonah from his afternoon Gym Games activity and stayed with him until Heather and Jed got home. Then I headed home with my pressure canner and jars that I keep in H & J’s basement and canned chicken mineral broth. Tomorrow there is nothing on my calendar. I have plenty to do, but it is nice to not HAVE to do anything.

2019 Life Logs, Day 98:  Here and There
Date:  Monday, April 8, 2019
Weather:  Overcast with Rain; High 51, Low 38 degrees F
Location:  At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

My day started with a physical therapy session and a trip to the grocery store so I would have something to eat for lunch.  Then I spent a couple of hours getting ready for a Voyage of Windbird presentation I make tomorrow at the Harwich Chatham Newcomers meeting here on the Cape.  I roasted a chicken and started a batch chicken mineral broth.  Friend, Karen Baranowski, stopped by just to catch up.  And then I headed to Heather and Jed’s to take Sam to a Boy Scout commitment.  I was supposed to take him to soccer practice, but the rain cancelled that and put the Scout event back on the schedule.  I did some more food shopping while Sam was doing his duty and then I picked him up and took him home so he could have dinner and a little relax time before bedtime as he has his state testing for the next two days and needs to be well rested.  Heather was off-Cape this evening with a work commitment and Jed was at Cub Scouts with Jonah and Ollie.  I stayed with Sam until Jed got home and then came home and called it a day.  I got photos from Jo when I got home of Ziggy blowing out the candles on his birthday cake today, so evidently his birthday celebration continued for a second day.  Lucky ten year-old and yummy looking cake.

The chicken mineral broth is still burbling, but I’ll get it in the refrigerator before I head to bed.  I really was all over the place today . . . here and there.  And tomorrow looks to be more of the same, but Wednesday looks like a day of rest.  Yay!

2019 Life Logs, Day 97: Happy Birthday to Ziggy
Date: Sunday, April 7, 2019
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 50, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

The second born of my grandchildren, Ziggy Milo, celebrated his first decade of life today. He had a technology-filled 10th birthday and spent his morning building the kits he received. I talked to him via Skype video this afternoonand he showed me the robot he had built and the computer he had put together from the Raspberry Pi kit I sent him. I also sent him an electronics kit and he had wired up a meter to track the amount of power being used by the computer. Go, Ziggy. And happy, happy birthday.

Heather, Jed, Ollie, and Jonah headed off-Cape early this morning to go to Jonah’s first soccer game of the season. I volunteered to stay home so I could pick Sam up at 11:30 when he got back from his Scout camp-out weekend. When I picked him up, I assumed he would want to go home, but he wanted to go to my house to launch the new kayak I bought a couple of weeks ago. He ended up launching three kayaks, tied them together, and pulled them behind him—just because he could.

He was having such a good time that I didn’t get him home until 4 pm. I dropped him off, came home to do a little organization for a sailing presentation I am giving on Tuesday, and then went back to Heather and Jed’s for dinner. Their invitation saved me as I have almost no food in my refrigerator. Tomorrow I definitely have to get to the grocery store!

2019 Life Logs, Day 96: The Long Way Home
Date: Saturday, April 6, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 58, Low 40 degrees F
Location: Back Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

After a morning walk with Leslie with beautiful seashore views, I left Rye to head west to a place called Ashburnham, Massachusetts, on the New Hampshire border. I had planned to do a surprise stop to see my niece Lynne on the way, but when I stopped to get gas and set my destination in Google Maps, I realized I really didn’t have time for that. So I decided to drive along the coast for a bit and then head west. As I left the coast to head west, I kept getting the strangest directions from Google Maps. But since I was unfamiliar with the route, I just kept following. I went through towns I had never heard of and the drive took much longer than anticipated. It should have taken me an hour and a half, but it took three and a half hours!!! I have been considering getting a puppy and a friend’s sister has a little yellow Lab boy available in Ashburnham. The farm is quite remote, but in a beautiful spot. Nancy, the puppy’s owner, is the sister of my friend Meghan, the goat lady. Nancy was in with the sheep when I arrived checking out a newly born lamb. Once she was sure the lamp was okay, she brought the puppy’s mother, Kylie, to meet me and then I met the five remaining puppies.

The little guy I am considering was one of the largest of the puppies and is probably going to be bigger than his mother. He is adorable, but I think a large Lab will be too big for my tiny cottage. Decisions, decisions. I make that decision tomorrow, but today I needed to get on the road home. I had checked out the timing before leaving home and thought it would take about two and half hours. But this afternoon, my phone said it would take over four hours. When you are driving alone, you just basically do what your phone tells you, but things got weirder and weirder. I was being routed on tiny little roads, no where near I 495 that I thought I would be taking for most of the trip. And in addition, my phone battery was low and I was fearful that it would shut off while I was in the middle of nowhere with no paper map. I kept stopping and trying to memorize the route, but even when I changed it to head directly to I 495, it continued on side roads. After two and half hours, I was in slightly more familiar territory and I followed my nose to the main highway. At this point, my phone was still saying I had two hours to go, but I knew it should only be an hour and a quarter at most. I looked at the route and it was taking me off I 495 and back onto side roads. Then the phone died and I drove home by the highway that I know. I was exhausted when I got here and so confused by what had happened. When talking to Heather tonight she said to check the settings on my new phone. She thought maybe it was set to avoid highways. I had no idea there was such a setting, but indeed there is and indeed my phone was set that way. Ugh. What a long way home, but I was introduced to all sorts of places where I have never been before. I guess that’s a good thing. And I’ve learned to never leave home without a paper map and a car charger for my phone.