2018 Life Logs, Day 99—Never Have I Ever
Date: Monday, April 9, 2018
Weather: Mostly Sunny, but Still Chilly; High Temp 41, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

There was sunshine today, but it was still chilly and windy. Does not feel like spring! I went to the gym and then spend a few hours with a realtor looking at homes for sale. There are some interesting things out there, but each possibility has some major drawback. So, I think I am going to end my search and either stay put or move to the cottage. I’m waiting to hear specifics from the cottage owner before I make the final decision. Stay tuned.

I rushed home to have a late lunch. While I was eating lunch, I checked in on Facebook and saw that Jo had posted a beautiful picture of Justin, Ziggy, and Coco messing about in a canoe as part of Ziggy’s birthday celebration. That was one post and then there was a post with a list of “Never Have I Ever” farmy-type experiences. My response was, “Oh, yes I have.” I read the list and realized I had done almost all of the 26 things listed. How come other people responding had only done one or two? I smiled and realized that not only am I much older than other respondents, I have lived one interesting life. That was all Mark’s ‘fault’. I would never have done any of those things had I not met him. But I enjoyed it all . . . with the exception of the broken egg in my pocket (one of the items on the list). As I wrote in a post on Facebook, it was winter in Minnesota. I walked to the barn to do the chores and put the only egg of the day in my jean’s pocket as my hands were carrying water buckets. When I got back to the house, I forgot about the egg and sat down. Not pleasant! Here’s the list. How many of these things have you done?

I also got a text message from Jo with photos of Ziggy and Coco opening Ziggy’s birthday presents from me and Coco opening her little sister present. I ordered the things on Amazon and they did arrive on Friday, but the post office in Rincon was behind on sorting and they couldn’t pick the presents up until today. Then I headed to Heather’s to check in on the gardening situation. Heather got lots of things planted yesterday, but there a few more things for me to plant tomorrow. Plus there are seeds that we need to start inside. Now that I have my marching orders, I’ll hope to get things planted tomorrow. Last week I planted cilantro and parsley inside in the big pots that I put on the deck. Both have sprouted and I included seven bean seeds that Jonah foraged from the garden. In one week, these beans are about a foot tall. I think we will have a new story to tell . . . Jonah and the Beanstalk. Today, he found a few more seeds so we will plant them and see what happens. And cold as it felt to me, Jonah and Ollie have decided that it is spring and time to play baseball. Ollie has taken over Jonah’s catcher gear and they are having a great time playing baseball in the backyard. This is a sign of spring.

2018 Life Logs, Day 98—Dinner at Bleu with Woodins
Date: Sunday, April 8, 2018
Weather: Cloudy AM, Some Sun Late PM; High Temp 41, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

I had dinner tonight at a French restaurant called Bleu with Bruce and Jane Woodin. They took me out to dinner to thank me for watering their plants while they were out of town this winter. I must say, it was a very special treat for doing very little work. The reviews say that Bleu provides a bit of France on Cape Cod. I am no expert on French food, but the food tonight was delicious, and the atmosphere is delightful. Thank you, Bruce and Jane.

Otherwise, my Sunday was very quiet. I just stayed home, did a little cooking and a little catching up on correspondence. I found out late in the day that Heather worked in her garden all day. If I had known, I would have gone over to help. But now all the heavy work is done. She got the entire garden tilled by hand and got the weather-hardy seeds planted. Way to go, Heather! When she called, she did give me a few little garden jobs to do if I want to help out, so I’ll work on those this week.

2018 Life Logs, Day 97—Happy Birthday, Ziggy
Date: Saturday, April 7, 2018
Weather: Cloudy AM, Some Sun Late PM; High Temp 46, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

Happy ninth birthday to Ziggy! I talked to him briefly today and when I asked what he got for his birthday he said, “An electric guitar!” Go, Ziggy. When I was in Puerto Rico, some evenings Ziggy just sat quietly and strummed on a guitar quietly. I’m guessing now that he has an electric guitar the strumming won’t be quite so quiet. I find it hard to believe that it has been nine years since he was born. Mark and I flew home from Malaysia to meet him when he was ten days old. I just read my log from the day we first met Ziggy and it was quite the adventure getting from Malaysia to New Mexico. “Seeing your grandchild for the first time is worth about anything. Even a ferry ride from Rebak to Langkawi . . . a taxi across Langkawi to Kuah . . . a ferry to Penang . . . a taxi from port to hotel . . . a little sleep . . . a taxi to airport . . . a 5-hour flight to Hong Kong . . . a 12-hour flight to Los Angeles—no sleep . . . a bus to train station . . . a Southwest Chief 18-hour train ride to Lamy, New Mexcio—some sleep . . . a shuttle van to Santa Fe . . . and then a walk through the snow with only sandals on. All this and we made it a day sooner than we thought. Somehow we miscalculated not including the day we gained crossing the dateline. So when we called Justin, he was just a little surprised. But he met us on the corner next to our home for the next three weeks and then we walked through the snow to meet Ziggy. Yes, it is snowing here. It probably snowed two-inches today and all of it is hanging on the pine trees. It is beautiful but it is freezing. We opted not to bring any shoes home with us, only the Tevas we were wearing and some wool socks we packed. Bad choice. Our feet were soaked and freezing by the time we got to Justin and Jo’s, but the first look at Ziggy warmed our hearts and our toes. He is so tiny and so beautiful.” Happy Birthday, Z.

02 Oma Holds Ten Day Old Ziggy

The sun made an appearance late this afternoon and I headed over to Heather’s to do some work in her garden. The two of us, with some help from Jonah and Ollie, made the first efforts to get the garden ready for planting. It is past time to plant peas, but it has been so cold that I don’t think they would have sprouted even if we had planted them on St. Patrick’s Day. Heather swears that is the day to plant peas, but not this year. But we will get them planted before April 17th!

2018 Life Logs, Day 96—Shellfish Presentation and Evening in Woods Hole
Date: Friday, April 6, 2018
Weather: Rain, Snow, and Wind; High Temp 46, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

This was a day of learning. In the morning I attended a two-and-a-half hour long presentation about recreational shellfishing in Falmouth. Shellfishing includes digging for clams, harvesting oysters, and catching scallops and the presentation included how to do this as well as size and catch limits, storage and safe handling of the shellfish, and regulations. It was organized by friend, Peter Baranowski, and presenters included Chuck Martinsen and Christina Lovely of the Falmouth Marine and Environmental Services, and John from The Clam Man showing us how to properly get open the shells. It was really informative. Now I just have to go to the Town Hall and get my permit for this year.

My afternoon was spent driving around town in the rain and spitting snow driving by more houses. Today I focused on homes in a slightly higher cost bracket and the places were much more appealing than the homes I drove by on Tuesday. The next step in my decision making process is to visit inside some of these homes and then I will make a decision about whether I am going to rent the cottage I have been considering.

My evening started early when Peter and Karen Baranowski picked me up at 5 pm. We then drove to pick-up Terry and Olivia White and all of us went out to dinner Woods Hole at Quick’s Tavern. This little restaurant overlooks the ferry terminal in Woods Hole and I realized that I haven’t driven through Woods Hole for weeks. The ferry headquarters has been torn down and will reopen in downtown Falmouth. And the docks for the three ferries that plow the waters from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard are a mess. Sure hope things are cleaned up before the tourist season begins. Dinner was delicious and then we attended a presentation on climate change, specifically the connection between changes in the ice in Antarctica and sea rise. The presentation was very informative, although a bit disturbing.

2018 Life Logs, Day 95—Meeting Two Phenomenal Ladies
Date: Thursday, April 5, 2018
Weather: Sunny, Windy, Cold; High Temp 44, Low 27 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

I have mentioned in recent logs that I am considering a move to a small cottage owned by a friend’s aunt. The friend is Karen Baranowski and her aunt is a 93 year-old woman named Shirley. Shirley and her 99 year-old sister, Doris, live part of the time in Doris’ home in Scituate, about an hour north of here, and part of the time in Shirley’s home here in Falmouth. Shirley owns her home and the adjoining lot with the cottage. That cottage has not been lived in since Shirley bought it about 20 years ago. Over the years, family members sometimes came to stay in it during the summer, but otherwise it has just been sitting there. Karen introduced the idea of selling or renting the cottage to her aunt after she heard me say I would like to a place with lower rent than I now pay, but that I would still like to be near the water. That sounded like the cottage to Karen, so she approached her Aunt Shirley. Before Shirley was willing to make a decision, she wanted to meet me and today was that day. It was the first time I have ever driven along the coast on the way to Boston to where Scituate is located. It is a lovely area. And when we got to a place where the North River runs out to sea, Karen pointed out Doris’ home on a hill overlooking the entire flats of the river. What a great location! Once I met Shirley and Doris I decided that living in homes with beautiful views must help one to stay young. Both women need walkers to get around, but their minds are still young and we had a delightful few hours together. Shirley is ready to rent to me, so now I just need to make that decision. I am going to spend the weekend looking at other possibilities and then make up my mind. But whether I move there or not, I hope to visit with Shirley and Doris from time to time. I shared much about my life with them today, but I would love to learn more about their lives. Together they have 192 years of experience to share. What a treasure.

2018 Life Logs, Day 94—Happy Anniversary to Justin and Jo
Date: Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Weather: Overcast, Foggy with Rain, Super Windy; High Temp 55, Low 31 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

Happy 11th anniversary to Justin and Jo. The traditional gift for the 11th anniversary is steel, I suppose because it is virtually resistant to corrosion and damage. If you have made it through 11 years of marriage, you are probably in it for the long run, thus resistant to damage just like steel. This past year has certainly shown that Justin and Jo are both resistant and resilient. May their relationship stay as strong for all the years to come.

I have to comment on the weather. Today was really depressing. Our April weather feels more like March weather. We certainly had March winds today and it was overcast, foggy, and rainy the entire day. Yuck! Jane Woodin stopped by just to say hello this morning which was a pleasant part of an otherwise depressing day. After she left, I drove around town looking at homes in my price range. That was really depressing, and sometimes so absurd it was funny. Near the end of my little tour, I drove by a house on the edge of a golf course. There were no other homes around, except for one right next to the one I was looking at. It was very tiny and right next to it was this two-story behemoth of a home, and then just manicured golf course all around. Really funny looking. I found neighborhoods in Falmouth I never knew existed. One home had burned down, some had neighbors with huge work trucks in the drive-ways, and others had neighbors with so many cars and so much junk scattered about that I was sure I wouldn’t want to live there, no matter how nice the house. Then there was the one that was hidden behind other homes and was surrounded on all four sides with 6-foot wooden fence. I thought I was in a fort. The bottom line is that there is nothing desirable in a price range comparable to the little home I have been considering. Tomorrow I drive off-Cape to meet the woman who owns that little house. Because I am a friend of her niece, she had agreed to think about selling to me, dependent on how our meeting goes. What I hope to find out is whether or not she might rent, rather than sell. She is 93 and no longer sails, but she did sail for much of her life. So, we have that in common. Hopefully the meeting will go well. On Friday, I will drive around and look at few homes that are in the next financial bracket and if there are any that I want to look at, I have a realtor lined up for Saturday morning. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will have a better idea of my options. And if there are no options, I will stay here for another year and continue looking for the ‘just right’, affordable place to live.

2018 Life Logs, Day 93—Rainy Day
Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Weather: Overcast with Rain; High Temp 40, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

So we had a few days near the end of March with temps nearing 50 degrees, but the rest of March was cold and miserable and April is continuing that trend. This morning was overcasee that in the immediate future. In fact, I see snow again on Saturday. But the osprey have returned, so evidently they think it is spring. Good for them!

I went to Tai Ji this morning and this afternoon I finally finished Ziggy’s book about Finca Maravilla. I spent some time looking online at possible homes to buy and made another visit to the home that friends are offering. Heather went with me this afternoon to see that home and she feels that the kitchen is a deal breaker–just too small. Somehow, I think I could adjust, but maybe not. I’ll keep looking, but the search is so frustrating because places look good online, but then when you do a drive-by, you can immediately see the problems. Often it is undesirable neighbors that are just too close. I’ll continue this search for the next few days and see what I come up with.

2018 Life Logs, Day 92—Snow
Date: Monday, April 2, 2018
Weather: Overcast, with Snow in the AM; High Temp 39, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

I felt like it was an April Fool’s joke this morning when I looked out the window and saw everything covered in white snow. But it wasn’t a joke. It was real. It continued to snow during the morning, but only the ground was white. It was just above freezing so the roadways were clear. I went to an early morning class at the gym and then went to H&R Block to get my taxes filed. I am fighting a cold, so I took time to rest this afternoon—a most uncharacteristic move on my part. I made it through the entire winter without getting sick, and my body is really working hard to resist this cold, so I am doing what I can to help-out. We shall see who wins.

2018 Life Logs, Day 91—Happy Easter
Date: Sunday, April 1, 2018
Weather: Overcast and Windy, A Little Sun Late Day; High Temp 51, Low 33 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

My memories of Easter are of warm weather, spring dresses, and even wearing white shoes. That was in West Virginia in the 1950’s, but I checked the weather there today and it is as cool there as it is here. This makes me think my memory is faulty, but I just found a photo of me on Easter Sunday 1957 that confirms my memory. But whatever, it did not feel like spring here today. It felt cold and was windy and dreary until late afternoon. I did get rays of sunshine from Puerto Rico in the afternoon when Jo sent photos of a Happy Easter there. That brightened my day and then the Goldstones arrived here in the late afternoon bringing more sunshine. The Easter Bunny had hidden eggs, so we had an egg hunt. Each boy found eight eggs, one of which included a ‘trade in coupon’ for a magic trick and that led to lots of fun as each magician presented their trick. Then during dinner, the Goldstones each shared their favorite activity from their outing to the outer Cape yesterday and today. I’ve left out lots of detail, including the frustrations when some magicians wanted to share their tricks and others did not and when Ollie never found one of his eggs, I have to talk to the Easter Bunny about that one. But despite a few frustrations, it was a good day.

2018 Life Logs, Day 90—Considering a Move
Date: Saturday, March 31, 2018
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 51, Low 37 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

It was a beautiful, sunny day and the high temperature was 51, but for whatever reason, it felt really chilly to me all day. Maybe I am ‘frozen’ because I am considering a move. Just the thought of having to pack everything up makes me catatonic. Regardless, I am considering it. This morning Bruce and Jane Woodin met me at the prospective property to give me their opinion. We couldn’t get into the house but they could look in the windows. Their general thinking is that the location is great and if I can rent it, I should do that as I will save a considerable amount of money each month. It is tiny and there are issues, but probably nothing I can’t work around. So I’ll first see if the owner is interested in renting with an option to buy instead of selling it immediately, and if so, I’ll then make a decision.

I somehow managed to spend the rest of my day doing laundry and shopping for groceries, household items, clothes, things for an Easter Egg hunt, etc. The Goldstones are out of town tonight, but they will return tomorrow and I invited them over for Easter Sunday dinner and an Easter egg hunt. That means I’ll spend tomorrow getting ready for that. It is always nice to have an excuse for house cleaning as I seem to only get that done when people are coming to visit!