After almost 6 years of traveling, we sailed into Woods Hole on Cape Cod. We continued living aboard for the next five years and I wrote about that, adding ‘and Beyond’ to the title of the blog. Then shortly before Mark’s death in 2016, we sold our beloved Windbird and my travel logs became land logs. At this point, I had written a daily account for each and every day for 11 years. I fully intended to end the blog at that point, but when I wrote that news in a log, I got many responses saying that I really needed to keep posting. At the same time, I realized that I couldn’t stop writing. Summarizing each day had become a permanent part of my life and I will probably continue writing until I can no longer. These postings reflect the ordinary, and sometimes the extraordinary, days in my life and I would like to invite you to join me on my journey.
2025 Life Logs, Day 06: Magic Mineral Broth Day
2025 Life Logs, Day 06: Magic Mineral Broth Day
Date: Monday, January 6, 2025
Weather: Overcast; Temp 27, Low 17 degrees F (feels 10 degrees colder)
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
On the twelfth day of Christmas, I made some magic in my kitchen. The recipe I use for making bone broth is called Magic Mineral Broth, thus the magic. You start with a 16-quart pot and the bones of a roasted organic chicken. You add to that a bunch of celery, 6 carrots, 2 onions, 4 red potatoes, 2 sweet potatoes, 1 garnet sweet potato, 1 leek, kombu seaweed, a bunch of parsley, juniper seeds, peppercorns, vinegar, 5 garlic cloves, and 8 quarts of water. The pot is brimming to the top, so you carefully bring it to a boil and then turn down the heat and let it burble for 8-10 hours. The only work time involved on this first day is getting the veggies washed and in the pot. That takes about 30 minutes. Then just before bedtime, you spend another 20 minutes or so, getting the broth separated from everything else. The problem with this is that the pot is incredibly heavy, so I have to use a colander to get one batch at a time separated and then divide the broth into two pots so I can carry them outside to sit overnight. Tonight I was curious as to how much the bones and veggies weigh, so I put the compost bag they were in on the scale. Just the waste weighs over 6 pounds! In warmer weather I have to fit the pots in the refrigerator which is a real pain. So, I prefer making the broth in the wintertime when I can use the outdoor freezer. Tomorrow I will skim off the fat and can the broth.
I want to thank Heather and Jed for the time they took on Sunday night to put some new lighting in my kitchen. Tonight, when I was straining the broth, I could not believe how much easier everything was with the new lighting. When I moved into this house, lighting was needed everywhere, but the kitchen was particularly dim. But months went by without me doing anything about it. Just before Christmas I saw a light strip in Heather and Jed’s basement that they were taking to the Swap Shop. I grabbed it and that is what they installed for me tonight. It is fabulous. Thank, thank you, H and J.
The only other thing I did today was spend the evening with the Goldpebbles while Heather attended her bi-monthly Select Board meeting and Jed attended his bi-monthly Health Board meeting. On those Monday nights, I consider it my “civic duty” to fix dinner for the boys. I love doing it as it gives me a chance to catch up on what is happening in Jonah and Sam’s lives. I see Ollie almost every day, but now that Sam and Jonah are in high school I see less and less of them. So I cherish my Monday nights with them. Tonight, we had veggie curry, butter chicken and rice, and chicken pakoras. It was the first time I had ever made the pakoras and all three boys loved them.
2025 Life Logs, Day 05: Sunday Dinner with the Goldstones minus Sam
2025 Life Logs, Day 05: Sunday Dinner with the Goldstones minus Sam
Date: Sunday, January 5, 2025
Weather: Cloudy, A Little Less Wind; Temp 34, Low 21 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Right now it is 28 degrees outside, but it feels like 16 degrees according to WeatherUnderground. It has been like this for the past few days, and I think the rest of this week will be mostly the same. Cold and windy, making it feel colder than it really is. But the wind was a little less this morning, so Shadow and I were back to our longer morning walk. I started the steroid regime this morning, the one prescribed by the health clinic doctor on Friday. The warnings that came with the drug said I might make me a little hyped. For whatever reason, by noon I was totally exhausted and had to take a nap. Weird. But after the nap, I was fine.
I invited Heather and family over for dinner tonight. I attempted to roast a brisket for the first time in my life and I totally failed. It was overcooked and I didn’t like the marinade, but I tried and no one mentioned how bad it was. And thank you to Ollie who sliced it for me.
Despite my culinary failure, we still managed to have a nice dinner together, but we missed Sam who was not with us tonight. College applications are due at 11:59 pm tonight, so he stayed home putting on the final touches. He still has about half an hour left, so good luck, Sam.
2025 Life Logs, Day 04: Day of Impromptu Happenings
2025 Life Logs, Day 04: Day of Impromptu Happenings
Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025
Weather: Sunny, NE Wind Continues; Temp 31, Low 26 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
One of the things I loved about sailing across the South Pacific was the hospitality of the local people on the islands. No matter how humble the abode–sometimes a thatched roof hut, other times a small concrete block home, big village or small one–as Mark and I walked through the villages, people would always invite us in for a cup of tea or a local treat of some sort. These impromptu meetings gave us a true view of how Pacific islanders live day to day. Somehow, they always had a kettle boiling and always had food of some sort to share. It felt so carefree and welcoming. This afternoon an invitation to the visit with Bruce and Jane Woodin felt that way. It started with Jane wanting to drop off some beef bones for Shadow. I was not at home, and she ended up not coming to drop them off. But I said I would come pick them up later. One thing led to another, and we ended up having an impromptu 4-course dinner of leftovers and some veggie soup I contributed. Jane brought out the food and served each course like a formal dinner. We had roasted brussels sprouts for the first course, my veggie soup for course number two, steak and shrimp straight off a Japanese hibachi grill( a couple of nights ago) served with rice for the third course, and leftover chocolates and cookies from Christmas for dessert. No one had to cook, and we had a great meal with lots of time for conversation. It was such fun!
My day started as usual with a walk with my Shadow. The temperature these days is misleading as it is much lower than the number showing due to wind chill. On my walks with Shadow, I have been wearing infinity scarf I got from Justin and Jo for Christmas like a balaclava. Wrapped twice around my neck, I can bury my face into it to protect from it from the wind. It has been keeping me warm on my walks with Shadow on these very cold, windy days we are experiencing.
This morning I walked only a half mile, despite the sunshine, as my hands were freezing despite the new wool gloves I got from the Goldstones for Christmas. When we got home, I realized I didn’t really have a plan for the day. So on the spurs of the moment, I decided to drive to Hyannis to go to Whole Foods. I have been needing a couple of food items that I can get only there or online from Amazon. So off I went–another impromptu happening in my day.
The final impromptu happening in my day was watching a rerun of Nicole Wallice’s Deadline Whitehouse program on MSNBC. When I got home from Bruce and Jane’s, I sat down at the computer to write my log. I was recording the weather and that prompted me to turn on the television to see if there was an update on the weather channel about the storm crossing the middle of the US. But before I could change to the weather channel, I got completely immersed in the program that was on. Nicole Wallace’s program is on MSNBC every week day at 4 pm, but tonight’s rerun was from this past week. She had an hour-long interview with documentary film maker Ken Burns. I watched the entire hour. It started with Ken Burns talking about his Civil War documentary that came out in the early 1990’s and how much of what was happening in the 1860’s in this country is mirrored in the present. It went on to relate material from some of his other documentaries to the present time, but there was one thing that he said that really stuck with me. Nicole mentioned that many people are just burying their heads in the sand currently, just not watching the news because it can be so depressing. His response was something to the effect that sitting in the fetal position and sucking your thump is not going to benefit anyone. He stated that we all need to stay involved in some way to help move our country forward. I agree with him, but I also realize that it is really hard to find the best way to be involved right now. I was so glad that I got to see this program, totally by accident, and really glad to be reminded by Ken Burns of how important it is to stay involved.. Today made me a new fan of ‘impromptu’.
2025 Life Logs, Day 03: A Trip to the Community Health Center
2025 Life Logs, Day 03: A Trip to the Community Health Center
Date: Friday, January 3, 2025
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Still Windy; Temp 38, Low 24 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
This saga began in late October with the beginnings of a sinus infection. It wasn’t full blown, but because I was going to be flying to North Carolina, my doctor prescribed an antibiotic. I hoped that would be the end of that. And it was until I got back from North Carolina. That was when I started having some pain just below my left ear. I thought maybe it was a dental issue, but I had a dental cleaning appointment and x-rays and the dentist gave me a clean bill of dental health. I then flew to Puerto Rico and was fine while there, but again on my return I had a sore throat, but only on that left side. That made me think it might be tonsilitis. I used a salt solution to gargle and heat on the neck area and everything was fine over the Christmas week in Maine. But when I got home, the very stiff neck and sore throat on one side only came back. Then, when I woke up this morning, the stiffness and pain from my ear and neck had traveled on to my upper left arm. That prompted me to go the Community Health Center. I arrived at 11:30 and thought I would be home no later than 1 pm. But I barely made it home in time to pick Ollie up at 2:45. I still have absolutely no idea what is causing this, but after a very long interview with the doctor and then an EKG and all sorts of x-rays, I was told that there doesn’t seem to be a cause. I do have postnasal drip, but my tonsils, my esophagus, my heart, and my ears are all fine. After 3 hours, I was prescribed a short term steroid, told to take Claritan, use a nasal spray, and buy a new pillow. Very frustrating, but good to know it doesn’t appear to be anything serious.
2025 Life Logs, Day 02: On the Ninth Day of Christmas
2025 Life Logs, Day 02: On the Ninth Day of Christmas
Date: Thursday, January 2, 2025
Weather: Mostly Sunny with Gale Force Winds; Temp 42, Low 30 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
On this second day of 2025, the ninth day of Christmas, I did not do any dancing with the nine ladies mentioned in the 12 Days of Christmas song. I did on this day, as I do every year on the second day of January. I tried to think of all the things I didn’t get done in 2024 that really need to be done, and I started working on that list. I only got as far as beginning to correct a mistake I made in my logs starting back on September 25. September 24 was Day 268, and I entered September 25 as 268 as well. So, every log from that day forward was off by one day. I noticed the error when I realized 2024 was going to end on Day 365. I knew that was not correct as 2024 was a leap year, so I went back to see where I went astray. I have corrected all the logs in my computer files, but I now need to correct the logs that are on the website. Of course, I don’t have to do this. No one else in the entire world will notice or care. But I will and the anal me says I have to make the corrections. We’ll see if that really gets done. Other than playing with lists, I walked and played with Shadow, did my stretches and exercises for my back and knee that I have been ignoring the past few weeks, attended an Encore Nominating Committee meeting, and picked Ollie up after school. I also called Helaine Kanegsberg to wish her a happy birthday, but I’ll repeat it again here. Happy Birthday, Helaine!
2025 Life Logs, Day 01: A Happy New Year’s Day
2025 Life Logs, Day 01: A Happy New Year’s Day
Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Late Rain, Wind Building; Temp 48, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
I am a chronological order person. I always feel compelled to start at the very beginning when writing about my day. But on this first day of 2025, I am going to reverse that. Is this an omen for the coming year?
Late afternoon I got a text from Heather saying, “So. This happened.” That caught my attention, but when I looked at the photos, I saw what she was referring to. Sam, Jonah, and Jonah’s friend Kaiden took their first New Year’s Day polar plunge this afternoon. I am not sure whose idea this was, but in the photo, they all look very proud of themselves!
I received that text just as I was getting home from an afternoon New Year’s Day Open House at Margaret Souz’s. I went last year with a friend who could drop me off at the door because I could barely walk. I remember going in and immediately finding a chair to sit in, where I remained the entire time. Standing was so difficult. What a difference a year (and back surgery) makes. This year I could stand and walk around freely. It was a wonderful reminder of just why I am so thankful. While I was at the open house, I got a call from Justin. It was late afternoon and he and Jo had not been out of bed all day. Coco, who had whatever it is first, was up and about for the first time since before Christmas yesterday. Ziggy, who got whatever from Coco, texted this morning telling me he was feeling a tad better today. But Justin and Jo are still down and out. I asked Justin if the power blackout in Puerto Rico was affecting them and he responded that since they have the solar back up, they haven’t noticed. They had turned off the AC and opened the house before the blackout because dryer, milder winter weather has arrived. He noted that if the blackout happened during the summer, it would be a different story. So, here’s hoping for everyone in Puerto Rico the milder temperatures continue and that everyone at Finca Maravilla is feeling better very soon.
My first day of 2025 was carefree and happy. I hope that your day was the same and that all of your days in 2025 will be the same. But I do have to share that the one project I chose to start the New Year has already been derailed. In cleaning up to get the house ready for guests while I went to Puerto Rico, I managed to put the very important pile of papers that were on my desk somewhere safe where I can’t find them. Tomorrow will begin, not with checking something off my To Do list, but with a search for that stack of papers. Instead of starting out the new year getting something productive done, I will be chasing my tail. Some things never change.
2024 Life Logs, Day 366: Garden Clean Up on New Year’s Eve
2024 Life Logs, Day 366: Garden Clean Up on New Year’s Eve
Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny; Temp 49, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
On New Year’s Day, sometime between 1986 and 1988, Mark and I went to pick Justin up from an overnight at his friend Warren Decker’s house. Warren’s mother, Patsy, was out in her garden planting garlic. This was on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where winters are mild, but we had moved there from West Virginia, and gardening at that time of year seemed strange to me. But these days here on the Cape, planting garlic and doing a little garden clean up on New Years Eve no longer seems strange. We haven’t had a really cold New Year’s Eve since 2017. But the year before and after 2017, the temps were back to mild. I’m listing my Falmouth weather recordings since 2016 here in case you are curious.
2024 Mostly Sunny; Temp 49, Low 41 degrees F
2023 Weather: Partly Sunny; High 39, Low 31 F
2022 Overcast and Rainy: High 56, Low 46 degrees F
2021 Mostly Cloudy, Some Sunshine in PM; High Temp 45, Low Temp 43 degrees F
2020 Rainy Morning, Then Overcast; High 50, Low 29 Degrees
2019 Dreary and Misty; High 38, Low 28 degrees F
2018 RAIN, High 53, Low 38 degrees F
2017 Sunny and Cold; High 22, Low 7 degrees F
2016 Partly Sunny; High 50, Low 30 degrees F
I ran some errands and stopped at Heather and Jed’s around lunch time. Jed was at the boat trying to get it covered before winter truly sets in, but everyone else was at home and inside. When I mentioned that I had been working outside doing a little gardening, the “Oh, I haven’t planted my garlic yet” light bulb went off in Heather’s head, so she grabbed some garlic and went out to the planting boxes on the deck. I then realized that I hadn’t planted garlic either. November is the time most people plant it here, but this was a busy November with a lot of traveling and no time for garlic. So, I went home and planted my garlic as well. And as I did, I thought of Patsy Decker all those years ago planting garlic on New Year’s Day.
Other than the little bit of garden work I did today, I spent a lot of time thinking about the many things I want to accomplish in 2025. Before I go to bed tonight, I’ll pare down that list and write my to do list of big 2025 projects before I go to bed. But this is different from making a resolution. I don’t make resolutions any longer because I have one that I will need to work on every day of my life. On New Year’s Eve in 2016, I was in New Hampshire with my friends Detta and Tom Porat. Detta and I stayed up until midnight trying to solve the world’s problems. Then, just after midnight, I turned on my computer to write my log. I opened an email from Heather, Jed, and the boys sharing a wish for the new year: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” (Mahatma Gandhi) That is a lifelong resolution and I’m sticking with it.
2024 Life Logs, Day 365: Day Trip to New Hampshire
2024 Life Logs, Day 365: Day Trip to New Hampshire
Date: Monday, December 30, 2024
Weather: Pouring Rain Early, Then Drizzle; Temp 53, Low 39 degrees F in Falmouth
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Today I drove to the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, to have a nice, long, relaxed lunch with friend Peppe Christianson. She will fly home to the West Coast on New Year’s Day and our get together on my way home from Maine last Friday was just not long enough. Today we had planned to have lunch and then go for a seaside walk, but somehow we managed to spent four hours talking and having lunch, leaving no time for a walk. We met at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel on New Castle Island near Portsmouth. The Wentworth was a Gilded Age grand hotel that survived until 1982 before its doors were finally shut. Then in the mid 1990’s it was listed as one of America’s most endangered old hotels. The notoriety around that listing saved it, or at least the part of it that was left, and it was totally restored. It is a lovely place to meet, eat, and talk away the afternoon. Peppe treated me to lunch, which was delicious. Thank you, Peppe. I look forward to our next meeting.
Tonight, I talked to my son Justin. I knew Coco was sick on Christmas Day, but tonight I found out that everyone in the family now has whatever Coco has. She still has a bit of a fever but is feeling a bit better. Hopefully by New Year’s Day the whole gang will be better. And after I had a late dinner, I talked to another close friend, Lynne Kirwin, in New Zealand. We managed to talk away the rest of the evening. It is New Year’s Eve there, so we finally had to hang up so she could join a few friends to celebrate. Happy New Year to Lynne.
2024 Life Logs, Day 364: Dinner with HJSO minus Jonah
2024 Life Logs, Day 364: Dinner with HJSO minus Jonah
Date: Sunday, December 29, 2024
Weather: Overcast with Mist; Temp 53, Low 50 degrees F in Falmouth
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
This morning I visited with my 91 year old friend Olga Mitchell. Olga, Shadow, and I are walking partners, but Olga fell on Christmas Eve and is out of walking commission until she sees a doctor. But we enjoyed a “sitting” morning, eating some of her Czech Christmas bread and drinking coffee. I sure hope she is back in “walking” mode soon.
After coming home and playing ball outside with Shadow, I did a little garden clean up. The weather was so warm that it felt like spring. Of course, that is not the case, but the reprieve from colder weather gave me a chance to do some things that did not get done this fall. Then tonight, Heather, Jed, Sam, and Ollie came over for dinner. Jonah is spending the night with his friend Kaiden, so he was missing in action. We had beef stew and salad with chocolate pudding pie for dessert. The boys bought Shadow a stuffed lobster for Christmas in Boothbay and they brought it over for him tonight. He loved it.
The Goldstones are not going to Vermont for New Year’s as planned. The weather is way too warm for skiing, so the group of Heather’s friends from high school days at St. Paul’s have decided not to gather this year. Tomorrow, I am headed back to New Hampshire to spend some more time with my friend Peppe tomorrow, but I will be back tomorrow evening to spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day here at home.
2024 Life Logs, Day 363: Just a Normal Day
2024 Life Logs, Day 363: Just a Normal Day
Date: Saturday, December 28, 2024
Weather: Overcast with Some Rain; Temp 49, Low 43 degrees F in Falmouth
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
After all of the travel and holiday festivities of the past month, today was just a normal day. I spent the majority of the day food shopping and then doing some cooking as my refrigerator was bare. I just got a text from Jed saying they just got home. They spent the morning playing on the frozen pond at the farm in Maine and didn’t head home until mid-afternoon. So, all is well here. We are headed into a few days of warmer weather and rain.