2024 Life Logs, Day 69: Back to Dreary Weather
Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024
Weather: Overcast; High Temp 42, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Between back surgery, recovery from back surgery, Covid, recovery from Covid, a sinus infections, and this incessant dreary weather, my normal zest for life has slowly drained away. I think I need a jump start to get back into the swing of things. And as I look at the calendar for this coming week, there is enough activity to give me that jump start. Today I tried to get myself interested in starting seeds indoors. This is something I usually love to do, but it was a chore today. I did go to Job Lot and bought a 4-tier wire shelf that will fit on the wall to the left of the sliders in my living room. I assembled that, and tomorrow I will get the grow lights and seed starting trays from Heather and Jed’s. That activity and starting a new book was about it for my day. I sure hope your life is more exciting than mine these days!

2024 Life Logs, Day 68: Belated Birthday Celebrations and Sunshine
Date: Friday, March 8, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 42, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Today was a day and evening of belated birthday celebrations. Karen Baranowski called yesterday afternoon to see if I would like to go out to lunch today just to catch up and as a little belated birthday celebration. I readily accepted, but suggested she just come here for lunch as I had soup and quiche leftovers. She planned to come at noon. Around 11:30 this morning, I got the soup and quiche out of the refrigerator for lunch, started the soup warming, and then took Shadow out for a little walk around the yard. It was windy, but the sunshine was glorious. When I took him back inside, I turned the soup off and decided I would meet Karen in the driveway and suggest that we skip the leftovers and go down by the water to have lunch at either The Flying Bridge on the harbor or Shipwrecked on Falmouth Heights Beach. When she arrived, she agreed. We decided on The Flying Bridge since she had been at Shipwrecked recently and we enjoyed a lovely lunch watching the sunshine sparkle on the water. Thank you, Karen! And as soon as lunch was over, Karen had to hurry home as today is Peter’s birthday. So happy birthday to Peter, as well.

Then this evening I went to Heather and Jed’s for a sushi dinner and chocolate decadence birthday cake topped with whipped cream and a little orange zest. It was wonderful catch up on everything going on in their lives as well. There was an article in today’s Enterprise featuring Heather and one of her opponents running for Select Board. I am so proud of both Heather and Jed for all of the volunteer work they do to make Falmouth a better home for all of us. Running for Select Board (the five people in Falmouth who make decisions for all of us) is a big commitment, but she is ready. And I learned tonight that Jed is back on the town Health Board after taking a few years off to spend his volunteer time with the Scouts. Ollie showed me his science fair project and he and Jonah shared some of the music they will be playing at All Bands Night this Wednesday. This is the night when all of the Falmouth public school bands, grades 5-6 from Morse Pond, Lawrence Middle School, and the high school, gather in the Falmouth High School auditorium to show off their talents. Sam arrived home after I got there as it was indoor soccer (futsol) night for him, and we talked about his continuing college search. There were huge boxes in the front hallway that contained my birthday present, but instead of opening them, Heather showed me photos of the gift online. It is a cedar self-watering planter on legs to make it waist high, so “No more bending over on hands and knees.” And easy on the back. A perfect gift for me this year. The boys will bring the boxes over to my house tomorrow and we will begin the assembly process. After dinner, Jonah added 7 candles on one side of the birthday cake and 11 on the other side. With a little multiplication, you understand the reason for that number of candles. They sang happy birthday, I made a wish, took a deep breath and blew out those candles. Thank you, Goldstones, for a lovely birthday evening.

2024 Life Logs, Day 67: Nasty Weather
Date: Thursday, March 7, 2024
Weather: Overcast, Misty, Windy; High Temp 53, Low 35 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

We’ve h spent ad a string of days of nasty weather. If you just look at the temperature for today, it seems like it should have been mild today. But with the overcast sky, the wind raging, and the mist in the air, it did not feel mild. I’m ready for a little sunshine. Maybe tomorrow?

My morning was spent making soup and a quiche for lunch. I invited a fellow Encore member over for lunch today to talk about a future Voyage of Windbird presentation to her church group. But we also spent a lot of time talking about her very interesting life. After she left, I had a Zoom appointment with my primary care physician who was just checking in to make sure all is well after my back surgery and then Covid. Tonight, I read my current book which is getting very interesting and then watched the State of the Union address. And if I quickly send this log, I’ll have a few minutes to read before bedtime.

2024 Life Logs, Day 66: Headed Back to Normal
Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Weather: Overcast, Rainy, Fog Late; High Temp 45, Low 43 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Today I felt like maybe I am headed back to normal. At least there was no drama in my life. I woke up at 6:15 am and not a creature was stirring. I laid back down and didn’t wake up until 8 am. I went out to check on Detta and found her in full cleaning mode. It was like someone flipped a switch and she was back to normal as well. All signs of food poisoning seemed to have dissipated overnight. Try as I might, however, I could not get her to stop cleaning the living room and the half bath off the living room where she had been “hanging out” since Tuesday evening. She was determined to leave that space cleaner than she found it and I finally had to give up and let her go at it. I kept reminding her that she had eaten nothing for 36+ hours and that her energy was going to run out quickly. We finally compromised and I convinced her to stop cleaning and sit down and eat some rice pudding before taking on the almost three-hour drive home. Thank you, Detta, for your friendship and your loving care. I love you, but next time you come visit, leave the food poisoning at home!

Right after Detta left, I put Shadow in the car, and we drove to Hyannis for my pre-op knee appointment with Dr. Kinkead. I couldn’t leave him at home as Mass Saves was coming to inspect the insulation work that was done in December. After my doctor appointment, Shadow and I headed home. I ate lunch and then took a quick nap to fortify myself for a 3:30 pm Exploring Public Policy meeting and then a 7 pm Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) meeting. Then it was to the grocery store and home. After a day like today, I am feeling like I am headed back to normal. I still have congestion, a cough, and a lack of energy. But I did feel more energetic today than yesterday. I’ll take that as a positive step forward.

2024 Life Logs, Day 65: Quiet Birthday with Dreary Weather
Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Weather: Overcast and Rainy; High Temp 49, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

As my friend Lynne constantly reminds me, “You make plans and then life happens.” Detta’s visit for my birthday is a perfect example of that. She drove all the way down from New Hampshire to bring a birthday dinner for us to enjoy last night and to spend this morning doing house cleaning projects as a birthday present before heading home. None of those things happened due to her bout with food poisoning. I ate dinner last night, but she did not. She spent her night in the bathroom and spent all day today napping to make up for the loss of sleep last night. There were no projects (except that she insisted on cleaning the bathroom completely at some point this morning) and she certainly could not go home. She seems better tonight, so her plan is to try to drive home in the morning. But she has eaten nothing and has only had electrolyte drinks. She says she feels like she has been hit by a Mac truck and never wants to eat again! Poor Detta. I would like to keep her here forever, but I do hope, for her sake, she is much better by morning. At least we did get to visit for about an hour last night just after she arrived, and we spent some time together tonight.

Shadow and I spent our day being as quiet as we could possibly be so that we did not disturb Detta. Doing only quiet activities was fine with me. I am still not feeling the least bit energetic, so reading and responding to happy birthday messages filled my day. Justin and gang called late this afternoon to sing Happy Birthday to me and we had a nice long talk on Skype. The first email I opened this morning was a voucher from them good for one day of work in the garden when they visit the first week of June. Opening that email was certainly a bright spot in my day. As soon as I got off the phone with Justin, Ziggy, and Coco, Helaine Kanegsberg called to wish me a happy birthday. Alan’s birthday is tomorrow and unfortunately, he has to spend it doing a pre-op stress test required for his upcoming back surgery. I then discretely ate dinner hoping Detta would neither see nor smell the food. And just as I finished up, Heather, Sam, Jonah, and Ollie came by after Scouts to sing Happy Birthday. Another bright spot in my day. We are having my family birthday dinner on Friday evening and I will get to open my present then. They gave me a hint that it is something that needs to be assembled in my kitchen. What could it be?

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes—the best part of any birthday. I just wish the weather had not been so dreary … as was yesterday, as will be tomorrow. Ugh. I could not remember another birthday in the past few years with such ugly weather. I convinced myself that I was just not remembering correctly. But then I looked up the weather as written in my logs. Not one other birthday in the past seven years has been without some sunshine. So, I guess my memory is not so bad after all!

Date: Sunday, March 5, 2023
Weather: Partly Sunny, Gale Warning Tonight; High 44, Low 33 degrees F

Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022
Weather: Sunny; High 39, Low 34 degrees C

Date: Friday, March 5, 2021
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Cold; High 35, Low 21 degrees F

Date: March 5, 2020
Weather: Sunny, High 50 degrees, Low 34 degrees F

Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Weather: Glorious Sunshine; High 29, Low 17 degrees F

Date: Monday, March 5, 2018
Weather: Mixed Sun, Clouds, Rain, Wind; High 41, Low 32 degrees F

Date: Sunday, March 5, 2017
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 70, Low 52 degrees F

2024 Life Logs, Day 64: Detta Arrived
Date: Monday, March 4, 2024
Weather: Overcast and Misty; High Temp 46, Low 39 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

There is not much of a chance that we will see the sun for the next seven days. Well, maybe a little on Friday. But it is going to be a dreary week. As I said in last night’s log, we will just have to make our sunshine indoors. This afternoon I had an Encore meeting with our Treasurer and then I came home to await the arrival of my friend Detta from New Hampshire who always brings a sunshine with her. Today she drove to Connecticut to visit with her father and then on to Cape Cod to deliver a birthday eve dinner. But we ran into a little snag. As the salmon was baking in the oven, Detta started feeling a bit queasy. She thinks she has food poisoning from something she ate for lunch and is unfortunately spending this birthday eve in the bathroom. No dinner for Detta. We are just hoping this will be a ‘short course’, 12 hours or so. I feel so bad for Detta, but I will just have to do what I can to support her.

2024 Life Logs, Day 63: Washer Woman
Date: Sunday, March 3, 2024
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Warmer; High Temp 51, Low 43 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

I don’t feel much different from yesterday, but yesterday was a HUGE improvement over the day before. The antibiotic is really making a difference. So, life is good. And I must have more energy than I have had since I got Covid 11 days ago. This morning, I got up and decided that everything in the house needed to be washed. So, I played the role of washer woman today. I took a shower and washed my hair. Then I gave Shadow a bath. The bed sheets made one washer load, and then the comforter came off the bed to be washed. The towels and bathmats were next. Then my clothes. I had hoped to get some other house cleaning done, but all of the washing took most of the day. My body told me that I needed to take an hour and half of the afternoon to take a nap. When I got up, I went to water plants for friends who are out of town. When I got home, Shadow and I played ball outside for longer than usual because it was warm, and then I collapsed on the sofa and read my book.

Tomorrow, I have my first meeting since Covid hit. I had to completely clear my calendar for the last 11 days, but this week it is back to normal.

2024 Life Logs, Day 62: DUNE and Gloom
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024
Weather: Rain and Wind; High Temp 46, Low 43 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

Thanks be that I can report that I definitely feel better today. The drainage and coughing are still with me, but it is minimal compared to what it was. And I think I can safely say that I did have a sinus infection or at least my body was fighting hard to ward one off. I took the first dose of the Azithromycin five day Z-Pak last night before bed and was better by morning, But I think the Claritin D that I switched to last night (from regular Claritin) kept me from getting a good night’s sleep. I honestly felt like I didn’t sleep at all, but I know I had to doze off between the one-hour intervals when I checked the time on my phone. If it does the same thing tonight, I will stop taking it and go back to the regular Claritin that does not have pseudoephedrine. One is an antihistamine, and the other is a decongestant. But I have taken Sudafed many times with pseudoephedrine, and it has rarely kept me from sleeping. Or maybe my problem was the inhaler. I have never used one before and I have no idea how albuterol affects the body. I am not going to do the inhaler before bed tonight and hope that was the problem. All in all, it was a good day fighting my way back to wellness. With one more day of R&R, I’m hoping to emerge on Monday morning ready to get back to normal daily routine.

It was a rainy day from mid-morning onward. Just one gloomy day. I took Shadow outside a few minutes ago and it is a little blustery out there tonight. The forecast calls for high temps in the 40’s all week, but there is a chance of rain every day. My friend Detta Porat is driving down on Monday evening to spend the night. Tuesday is my birthday, and she is going to clean house for me as a gift. So, I guess it doesn’t matter if it rains. It can be gloomy outside, but we can make our own sunshine indoors.

I watched a Stephen Colbert recorded show from Thursday night while eating lunch today. His guests were Rebecca Ferguson who plays Jessica in Dune and Dune Part 2 and the director, Denis Villeneuve. Dune Part 2 is now in theatres across the country, so I decided tonight to watch Dune (part one) to refresh my memory before going to the theatre to see Part 2. It is the kind of movie that really needs to be seen on the big screen.

2024 Life Logs, Day 61: Yippee, Covid Free … but
Date: Friday, March 1, 2024
Weather: Sunny, Still Chilly; High Temp 37, Low 34 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

My March came in like a lion. I tested covid free today, but I was feeling just awful. I thought I got a good night’s sleep, but before noon, I was exhausted and just couldn’t keep my eyes open. I had to take a nap. When I woke up at 2 pm, I felt even worse. I was going to wait until tomorrow to test for Covid, but I decided to do it right then. I tested negative for Covid, definitely the highlight of my day, but I immediately called the doctor. I needed help figuring out why I should feel so much worse even though I am Covid free. I was told to go to the closest walk-in clinic, so I did just that. After a lot of questioning and examining, the doctor said it was her opinion that I have developed a bacterial infection in my sinuses. There were no indications that I have pneumonia. She prescribed an antibiotic, an inhaler, and said to keep taking Claritin, but switch to Claritin D. I’m sure hoping that I can report that I feel a tad better this time tomorrow night.

2024 Life Logs, Day 60: Covid Day 8, Back Up Hill a Bit
Date: Thursday, February 29, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Windy, Feels Chilly; High Temp 46, Low 35 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth MA

It was a few degrees warmer today than forecast, but it was hard to tell because of the wind. Despite the weather, I am feeling better today. I was actually able to lie down and sleep, rather than sitting up, in the early morning hours. But I am not ready for prime time. I put on my mask and went to CVS this afternoon to get some vitamin C and black elderberry syrup. While checking out, I had a coughing fit. I would not have wanted to be the person at the self-checkout counter next to me. And as I told the doctor in my Monday telemed appointment, there is every indication that I am fighting off a sinus infection. But he insisted I wait until next week to ask for an antibiotic, so I am following the doctor’s orders.

On this last day of February, I leave you with the following thought. Please forgive the language, but when I saw this morning, I was sure Pooh was speaking for me.