2019 Life Logs, Day 5: Sunshine
Date: Saturday, January 5, 2019
Weather: Sunny; High 59, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home with Patsy and Joe Kerwood in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

Finally, we had a day of sunshine. It was sunny on the day I arrived but has been overcast and rainy since then. We spent a quiet day at home. Janet and Monica came over. Janet worked with Joe, getting him to move a bit which is real challenge, while Monica performed handyman tasks. In less than hour, she installed a new kitchen faucet, a safety handle in the shower, and did a deep cleaning of the washing machine and its filter. I was totally unaware that washing machines even have a filter! I went to the grocery store mid-afternoon to buy things to stock Patsy’s freezer so she will have ‘instant’ meals for Joe. When I got home I had a Skype video call with Heather and gang and then Patsy and I took all the ornaments off the Christmas tree and Patsy put those away. Tomorrow is Epiphany, the day I have adopted as my official end of the holiday season, so we will take down the tree and box up Christmas until next year. Lucky me, I get to do this again when I get home!

2019 Life Logs, Day 4: Nashville Music
Date: Friday, January 4, 2019
Weather: Mostly Overcast; High 51, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home with Patsy and Joe Kerwood in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

A visit in the Nashville area just isn’t complete without taking in a little Nashville music. Tonight my niece Janet and her partner Monica took me into the Music City to hear Fireball Mail at The Station Inn. According to Trip Advisor, “The Station Inn is a concert venue in Nashville, Tennessee, hosting the greatest bluegrass, blues, roots and Americana in the world. The Station Inn is the last true music venue in the Gulch area who has held true to the Nashville classic music scene.” I smiled when I read that last sentence as that is just a nice way of saying that the bar has not changed one little bit in the past 45 years of its existence. It has a well-worn look with an unfinished plywood floor and a hodge-podge of tables and chairs, but the music was world-class bluegrass. The Fireball Mail band played a mixture of original, progressive, and traditional songs and invited a few guest singers to join them at times during the evening. One guest tonight was Jet Jurgensmeyer, a fourteen year-old actor and bluegrass singer who plays the guitar. This band won the 2016 Telluride Bluegrass Festival and each of the five members of the band have won individual awards of excellence in guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, and fiddle. I thoroughly enjoyed the music. The head of the group is the husband of a friend of Janet’s who greeted us, bought us beer, had her husband take the time to come by to chat with us, and gave us complimentary copies of the band’s latest CD. When she brought a pitcher of beer to our table, I said something about her being an angel to which she replied, “I like that. A beer angel!” It was a fun evening in Nashville.

2019 Life Logs, Day 3: Dreary Weather
Date: Thursday, January 3, 2019
Weather: Overcast; High 43, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home with Patsy and Joe Kerwood in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

What dreary weather we are having here this week. It is warm enough, but no hint of sunshine. But I guess that is what comes with January. Otherwise, things are progressing here. Today the home health care nurse visited and outlined the level of home care for my brother-in-law Joe for the next couple of months. He has multiple issues, including the early stages of dementia, so health care is complicated. After the home health nurse left, my niece Janet stayed with Joe while I took Patsy to Costco. Joe seems to really enjoy his time with Janet. Today he got to open some belated Christmas presents which actually got him to smile. Patsy has been homebound with Joe for a few months and has very little chance to get out. And she loves going to Costco. So off we went. Our day tomorrow will be spent dealing with in-home occupational and physical therapists. Then tomorrow night, Janet is stealing me away to go see a Nashville musician that she and Monica really like. That should be fun.

2019 Life Logs, Day 2: Joe Home from the Hospital
Date: Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Weather: Overcast with Rain Late; High 46, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home with Patsy and Joe Kerwood in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

My brother-in-law Joe got home from the hospital today. But unfortunately, coming home means the beginning of the long process of helping Joe get used to life using a walker. We have miles to go on that end of things, but at least Joe is here and Patsy doesn’t have to make the daily commute to the hospital. My time here is passing quickly and there is very little time to write. It is much more important to spend time with my sister right now. So, logs will be short while I am here. I return home next Monday.

2019 Life Logs, Day 1: First Day of 2019
Date: Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Weather: Overcast; High 57, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Sister in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

My dad always believed that the way you live New Year’s Day is the way you will live each day of the year. That is ingrained in my very being, so on New Year’s morning, I get up and get dressed immediately as that was another of my dad’s ‘rules’–out of bed and ready for the day. And so I was this morning. I made a healthy smoothie for breakfast and then started researching the solutions to some of my brother-in-law’s issues. He has been in the hospital and rehab for three weeks and is still quite weak and has to use a walker anytime he is up and about. In order for him to be safe and comfortable when he comes home from the hospital tomorrow, there are many adjustments that need to be made. We knew Joe’s physical and occupational therapy sessions today allowed us to visit from 11:00 to 1:00, so we planned our visit for today during that time. We got to meet one of his physical therapists who gave up more tips on the best ways for him to get in and out of chairs. My sister is very tiny and really can’t assist him physically, so he needs to be able to do things on his own and in a way that will prevent future falls.
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After the hospital visit, we attempted to go see a movie but that didn’t work out. We drove all the way to south Nashville to see Mary Queen of Scots, but it was sold out. Then we drove back to Mt. Juliet to see a different movie and it was sold out as well. So we went home and did some cooking and watched football games. I roasted a chicken so I can make chicken magic mineral broth tomorrow and roasted a spaghetti squash. Joe has requested spaghetti for his first night home and since I avoid eating pasta, I’ll have my sauce over spaghetti squash. My only resolution this year is to continue to try and eat as healthy as possible and ridding my diet of gluten is one of my ‘rules’ for healthy living. I thought I’d have time today to reflect on the past year, but that didn’t happen. I did get to talk with good friends Kevin and Claire and had a Skype video call with Justin and family in Puerto Rico. My first day of the year was spent eating healthy food, connecting with friends and family, and helping others. I think that is a good way to start 2019.

2018 Life Logs, Day 365: Happy New Year!
Date: Monday, December 31, 2018
Weather: RAIN, High 53, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Sister in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

This is it. The 365th day of 2018. I’ll leave reflections for tomorrow night’s log and just enjoy the moment. I spent the morning grocery shopping and talking with my sister, had an early afternoon massage thanks to the generosity of my niece Janet, survived an afternoon torrential rain, went with my sister to visit my brother-in-law Joe who is in the hospital, went out to dinner with my sister, and then spent a fun evening together watching New Year’s Eve celebrations on TV. My niece Janet and her partner Monica braved the rain to enjoy Music City New Year’s Eve in downtown Nashville and I look forward to hearing about that tomorrow. I talked with my son Justin and with Heather and Ollie. Justin and family were enjoying the evening on the beach in Puerto Rico and Heather and Ollie had come home from a party a little before midnight, leaving the older brothers and Jed to ring in the New Year. Here’s hoping you and yours have a healthy, happy, peaceful 2019. Happy New Year!

2018 Life Logs, Day 364: Massachusetts to Tennessee
Date: Sunday, December 30, 2018
Weather: High 57, Low 49 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Sister in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

Success! I drove from East Falmouth to the Park and Ride in Sagamore, caught the bus to Boston Logan, and flew from Boston to Tennessee with no problems. My sister hates driving in the airport traffic, so a neighbor came to pick me up and brought my sister with him. Thank you, Marty! It was warmer here this afternoon when I arrived than it was at home yesterday, and tomorrow it is going to rain with a high temp of 68 degrees F! Last year when I was here at this time, we got down to single digits at night. Doesn’t look like that will happen this year. Temperatures should be moderate the whole week that I am here. So, I will enjoy that and brace for cooler weather when I return home.

As soon as I arrived, my sister Patsy and I drove to the hospital to visit with my brother-in-law Joe. He comes home on Wednesday, so a lot of this week will be centered around getting him settled in at home. Patsy and I went out to dinner and then came home and watched two episodes of Victoria on Masterpiece Theater. That’s about it from here. Tomorrow night at this time, we will be ushering in a new year.

2018 Life Logs, Day 363: A Gift
Date: Saturday, December 29, 2018
Weather: High 53, Low 24 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Today Mother Nature gave us a gift here on the Cape. The weather was just absolutely glorious—full sun, blue skies, and a high temp in the 50’s making wearing a winter coat totally unnecessary. Of course, tomorrow will be almost 20 degrees cooler, so the key is to just enjoy the warmth and sunshine when it comes. Tomorrow morning, I leave for a week-long visit in Tennessee with my sister Patsy, my brother-in-law Joe, and their daughter Janet who lives nearby. The flight is only 3 hours, but it takes all day to get there. I leave here at 9:15 to drive to a Park & Ride where I will catch a bus to Logan in Boston. If all goes well, I will touch down at 3:40 pm Central Time. Weather looks okay, so hopefully travel will go smoothly. My fear is not the weather, but my unpredictable knee. I am wearing a brace, but even that is not enough when my knee ‘decides’ to become excruciatingly painful. When that happens, I can’t walk without crutches. But I have decided to leave the crutches at home and hope for the best. I am getting more and more anxious for that end of February knee replacement.

When I got home last night, I was shocked at how much my baby fish grew in one week. The vacation feeder allows them to eat at will and that must agree with them. I started the aquarium with two Platys. These are tropical fish that look like goldfish, but they have live babies. I now have one adult and babies in three different sizes. So much fun to watch them grow.

2018 Life Logs, Day 362: Nyack, New York to Cape Cod USA
Date: Friday, December 28, 2018
Weather: High 54, Low 45 degrees F
Location: Back Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Traffic, traffic, traffic. Rain, rain, rain. And now safely back home on Cape Cod USA. Revels in Cambridge on Sunday afternoon, drive to Boothbay, Maine on Sunday night, a fabulous Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Maine with Heather, Jed, the Goldpebbles, and Jed’s family, drive to Nyack, New on Boxing Day, a delightful day in Nyack with Lynne yesterday, a ‘puzzling’ morning with Lynne today as we starting putting the 1,000 piece puzzle I brought to her as a gift, and then the rainy drive back to Falmouth. It has been quite a full six days of celebration . . . holiday celebrations and the celebration of Ed Kirwin’s wonderful life. As we move into the new year, he is going to be missed by so many, but by none so much as by Lynne. She has lost her best friend, her loving partner of 24 years, her fellow adventurer, her anchor. I am so glad I was able to be with her to reflect on Ed’s life and to help her begin to take the beginning steps forward to her new life without him. Ed was kind, a gentle soul, a natural teacher, a man who lived his dreams. And Lynne and I were able to share memories.

02 Sushi and Sundowners on Constance with Lynne and Ed

I have spent my evening watching the PBS News Hour, the Washington Week in Review, and some of my favorite cable news programs. Since I haven’t seen television news for a week, I wanted to catch up. Everyone is talking about the same thing—the government shutdown and the wall. When I was catching up on Facebook posts, I read the following on Bruce Woodin’s timeline: “Rather than a wall, America needs to build a giant mirror to reflect on what we have become.” I think that sums up the present situation completely.

2018 Life Logs, Day 361: Delightful Day with Lynne
Date: Thursday, December 27, 2018
Weather: High 49, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home with Lynne Kirwin, Nyack, NY

It was a delightful day with Lynne. We started our day with a Kirwin green smoothie plus some Handley additions. Then we were off to see the movie, Green Book, which we both recommend as a ‘must see’ movie. A quick trip to the grocery store after the movie gave us a head start on dinner. I fixed artichokes and ‘leaf’ pie and we spent the in between times just visiting with each other and with members of Ed’s family. Lynne has received so many wonderful tributes to the life she and Ed led together. These make her a bit teary-eyed, but at the same time, these tributes make her feel loved by so many people. I will be leaving tomorrow and another friend who has been out of town for the holidays will return on Saturday so she and Lynne can spend some time together. Then next Thursday, Lynne will fly to Michigan where her family lives. She will spend a week with them before returning home. And she is considering some other travels that will help get her through this initial time without Ed. I’ll return home from here today knowing things here are on a positive track. Then on Sunday, I fly to Tennessee where I will spend the first week of the New Year with my sister and brother-in-law, Joe. If all goes as planned, he will be coming home from a three week hospital stay next Wednesday. The timing is good as I will be there as extra support when he first comes home.