2026 Life Logs, Day 27: Living in Winter Wonderland
Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Weather: Sunny, Then Cloudy Late Day; High Temp 24, Low 12 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

The snow we have is definitely going to be with us for the foreseeable future, and now there is the forecast of another snowstorm on Saturday night going into Sunday. Not as much snow as winter storm Fern brought our way, but it will certainly add to our winter wonderland. A little work, a little play, that was today. But the big news was that the driveway finally got plowed!

2026 Life Logs, Day 26: Snow Day
Date: Monday, January 26, 2026
Weather: Overcast, with a Bit More Snow; High Temp 32, Low 12 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

This was an official snow day. No school. Very little traffic in town. Just snow plows.

Today I continued shoveling the walkway to my house from my temporarily non-existent driveway. The driveway is just a field of snow right now except for the narrow path out to the street made by my neighbor Andy with his snow blower. Thank you, Andy.

Shadow and I trudged through the deep, wet snow early this morning to get out to the street so we could walk, but it was truly a struggle. So, thank you to my good neighbor. Shadow and I left a few brownies in a container on his doorstep. And I know his day started by waking up to the walkway up to his door being shoveled by an anonymous neighbor. Seems like the snow brings out the best in all of us.

The day was uneventful. Just shoveling snow, taking a rest, then shoveling more snow. Then tonight I was on two different Zooms dealing with knowing your rights and legally recording during protests or during an ICE raid. It is so sad that we all need to do this training, but we do. What has happened in Minnesota could happen anywhere, and each of us needs to be prepared.
But this evening, as the snow began to fall once more, we got good news in that Greg Bovino, Border Patrol agent who is pure evil, is being taken out of Minnesota, sent back to his post in California, and is expected to be retiring soon. There are other indications that at least some of the other 3,000 agents in Minnesota are being withdrawn as well. Who knows where they will be sent next. But for the people of Minnesota this is very good news.

I am headed out to shovel the walkway one more time before heading to bed. We are headed into a week with the high temperature not getting above 32 degrees F. Whatever is left out there tonight, is going to be frozen that way for a few days, and I don’t want a frozen walkway! And by the way, Shadow doesn’t love the deep snow, but he loves running in the cleared pathways.

Grandkid Update. Jonah has had three wonderful days with friends in New Hampshire snowboarding day and night. They will be returning home tomorrow morning. Ollie’s allergic reaction is no better, but no worse. He will be seeing a PA in his orthopedist’s office tomorrow, who will unwrap his arm, clean the area thoroughly, and then wrap it back up again. This is being done to try and get rid of the irritant causing allergic reaction. Somehow, he is still keeping his positive attitude. Go, Ollie!

2026 Life Logs, Day 25: A Busy Snowy Day
Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026
Weather: Overcast, Snow and Wind; High Temp 30, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

The snow started at 10 am this morning, very light at first, and gradually building. By my measuring standard, by 11:45 am we had nearly an inch. At 1:45 pm we were getting closer to 3 inches. And by 4:45 pm we had between 6 and 7 inches.

Then the snow and the wind both picked up. Shadow and I were outside, and I was trying to shovel the walkways, but as soon as I got to the end, the path was filled in again. At this point the snow was very icy, so we came back inside plastered in ice.

By 7:45 pm, the snow had slowed almost to a stop, but the wind continues. My best estimate is that we have 8-10 inches. And now we are getting the icy snowy rain predicted. When that ends, the forecast shows very little chance of more precipitation until about 11 am tomorrow when we start getting 0.1 of an inch an hour until midnight. There is no school tomorrow and that is good for both Jonah and Ollie. Jonah is still in New Hampshire and not sure when they can drive home. And Ollie is still struggling with the allergic reaction to something that happened during the procedure to reset his arm on Friday. The Allegra didn’t work, so they had to start the prednisone this morning. So far, that is not working either. If it is no better tomorrow, they will contact the doctor again to see what to do next. But he won’t be going back to school until the swelling and itching is under control. But at least he is maintaining his positive attitude.

This afternoon, in between forays outside to try and keep the walkway shoveled, I attended a 2 hour Resistance Lab on Zoom, watched the second half of the Patriots-Broncos game (Go, Pats!), and then attended a Massachusetts Rapid Response Zoom on things we can do in Massachusetts to stand in solidarity with what is happening in Minnesota. Some of the call was about being prepared if Massachusetts should be targeted. I gained a lot of information in a short period of time, so I’ll spend tomorrow unpacking that in between digging out of the snow.

This is the deepest snow Shadow has ever encountered, and he finds going to the bathroom a little challenging. I guess if I had to squat down in the freezing snow to go pee, I would be challenged as well! I tried playing ball with him when we had just 3 to 4 inches, but I found that he also doesn’t care for putting an icy tennis ball in his mouth. I’ve always said he loves the snow, but today I found out he loves 2-3 inches of snow, but no more than that.

It is time to bundle up and take Shadow out one more time before we head to bed. I should shovel the walkway one more time, but I don’t think I have the energy. That will be tomorrow’s job.

2026 Life Logs, Day 24: Winter Storm Fern on the Move
Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026
Weather: Sunny and Frigid; High Temp 17, Low 8 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

Winter storm Fern has much of the country a little on edge, but the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and an allergic reaction to the antibiotic they applied to Ollie’s arm when they did the reset procedure yesterday also made this day not your normal Saturday.

The storm is going to impact most of this country east of the Rocky Mountains. Half of the country was under extreme winter weather alert today. Here we had frigid temperatures and tomorrow we are expecting somewhere near a foot of snow, followed by icy rain, and then topped off with a little more snow.

At noon today, I headed to the Green where our weekly rally was dedicated to showing our solidarity with Minnesota. When I got there, I had no idea another person was murdered in the streets of Minneapolis this morning. What people had heard was that it was an immigrant. But as we all now know, it was another citizen protester, 37 year-old Alex Pretti. If you have not already seen the commentary by American historian Heather Cox Richardson, you must. And I really mean this is a must for every person in this country. You can watch it here.

As the day progressed, it became obvious that Ollie’s allergic reaction to what appeared to be the antibiotic solution they used on his arm yesterday when they did the bone reset was not getting better. Slowly, after the procedure, his upper arm was slightly swollen with a red, itchy rash. Heather washed the part of his arm that was exposed, but much of his forearm is splinted and wrapped. The good news is that he no longer needs anything for the pain, but the bad news was that taking Benadryl as the doctor prescribed wasn’t working and when they increased the dosage, it completely knocked him out for three hours. So, tonight the doctor recommended a trip to the ER. It was fairly quick and they decided on trying Allegra instead of Benadryl. And if that doesn’t work, they prescribed prednisone and an EpiPen if things really go wrong. He is home now, wide awake after the 3-hour Benadryl nap, but in good spirits and hoping that when he does fall asleep, it will be an uneventful night. I will certainly sleep more soundly knowing that the ER doctor made sure they have a Plan 2 and Plan 3 if Plan 1 doesn’t work for Ollie.

2026 Life Logs, Day 23: All Over the Place
Date: Friday, January 23, 2026
Weather: Partly Sunny, Temp Dropping; High Temp 36, Low 6 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

My mind and my body felt like separate entities today. My body was in one location, but my heart and mind were elsewhere. I got up early, walked Shadow, and drove up to the Bourne Bridge area to Pampered Paws to drop him off for his every 7 weeks grooming appointment. After doing that, I drove back to East Falmouth to take my car in for an ‘evaluation’. When I had new tires put on last Saturday, I was told the car needs new front brake pads. Then, later that same day, the car started sounding like it had no muffler. So, this morning’s appointment was to see what needs to be done and to determine if it is worth putting more money into a 16-year-old car approaching 200,000 miles. What they found was the very problem I have been anticipating for two years. I need a new catalytic converter (Break Out Another Thousand!), plus I need new brakes. But for the whole morning, my heart and mind were with the people in Minnesota who were having a general strike and protest today against the horrors ICE is committing there and with Ollie who was in Hyannis having his broken arm reset and pinned. Thankfully, both the people of Minnesota and Ollie stood strong, but I ached to be with them.

I had an Encore business lunch appointment with good friend Bruce Woodin, ran some errands on the way home, heard from Heather that Ollie was in a bit of pain but home and doing okay, and got home long enough to take care of a few things I needed to do there. Then I headed back up the highway to pick Shadow up. Once I got Shadow home, I was out again to take Ollie some clam chowder and a chocolate chip cookie cake. I was so relieved to see him. He was obviously experiencing a bit of pain, but he is handling it all like a trooper. And I got there in time to say goodbye to Jonah who was heading out to go snowboarding in New Hampshire with friends for the weekend.

When I finally got home for the evening, I turned on the TV to see reports from Minnesota. Over 50,000 people came out today to protest against ICE in very frigid weather. The high there today was -9 F, and much lower with wind chill factored in. Tomorrow at noon we have our Falmouth standout in solidarity with the very brave people of Minneapolis-St. Paul and the temperature here is going to be in the low teens. Not as cold as in Minnesota, but cold enough for us to truly feel the connection!

Tomorrow will be spent standing in solidarity with the people of Minnesota and preparing for Sunday’s snowstorm. We are expecting a foot of snow, so I probably won’t be driving anywhere. I went to the grocery store tonight, but there was no arugula, no kale, no broccoli, none of the things I wanted, so I’ll try again tomorrow. Obviously, everyone in Falmouth is preparing for the storm, leaving the grocery store shelves empty.

2026 Life Logs, Day 22: Overflowing with Community
Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2026
Weather: Partly Sunny, Warm for January; High Temp 44, Low 27 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

Today was warm for January and much of the snow and ice melted away. But never fear. More snow and ice is in our future. Sunday into Monday we are forecast to get over a foot of snow. And tomorrow night the temperature will dip to 6 degrees F. We are in for a week of serious winter.

The highlight of the day was the Town of Falmouth’s Forum on Immigration.

There were speakers, time for small group discussions, but the most remarkable thing was the number of people attending. Every seat in the room was taken and there were scores of people lining the walls and standing out in the hall. There must have been wellover 300 people in attendance, and I think even the speakers were taken aback at the number of people, almost all of whom were supportive of our immigrant population. Heather and the other four Select Board members were present. And I know Heather helped plan the event. I am so proud of her dedication to this town!

2026 Life Logs, Day 21: Happy 19th Birthday to Sam
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Weather: Temperature Rising; High Temp 40, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

Today started out in the teens and slowly, slowly, the temperature kept rising. Right now at 11 o’clock at night it is 40 degrees out and will stay that way until morning. Tomorrow we will have a sunny, warm day in the 40’s. On Friday, we’ll be back in the 30’s. And on Saturday we will be in the teens. Then we stay in the teens and 20’s for a few days with a foot of snow forecast for Sunday going into Monday. My goal tomorrow is to put sand on the driveway which is a sheet of ice right now. I’m hoping the warmer temps and the sunshine tomorrow will melt the ice. I had dinner with Heather and family tonight, and when I got home, I discovered that Jed had put a tube of sand in my trunk. Thank you, Jed!

I spent my day working on Encore business. I am on the Nominating Committee seeking out new members for next year’s Board. But in the late afternoon, I took a break to have lunch and catch up on the news. Bad idea. I spent the rest of the day completely dumb founded after hearing what our dictator president said in front of the world in Davos. It is enough to make a sane person honestly think they are crazy. The misrepresentation of history, the disrespect for our allies, the confusion of not knowing the difference between Greenland and Iceland, the distortion of truth on every front. Ugly, ugly, ugly. It is almost more than a sane person can believe is actually happening. In what kind of world do we accept such behavior from a world leader? Sorry. I try to keep my rants to myself. But today was just too much.

On a much brighter note, nineteen years ago, on a cold and snowy Sunday, Samuel Ellery Goldstone came into this world. Sam is in the middle of finals, but he and two other friends with birthdays this week are planning a birthday celebration this weekend. Happy birthday, Sam!

2026 Life Logs, Day 18: It’s Snowing
Date: Sunday, January 18, 2026
Weather: Overcast with Rain, Turning to Snow; High Temp 47, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

Shadow and I slept in this morning and then I spent nine straight hours NOT focused on things I had to do, but just on what I wanted to do. It is the first time since early in December that I can remember having a day without time sensitive things I needed to do hanging over my head. Of course, I still have a badly neglected personal ‘to do’ list, but the ‘have to get it done in the next two hours’ list is non-existent today. It felt wonderful to just sit and do nothing for a change. But as evening approached, I did get on my computer to write some emails that needed to be sent out on Friday past. At least I am only a couple of days behind!

The morning was overcast and rainy today, but sometime in the afternoon, I looked outside and the ground was turning white.

It is still snowing and is supposed to snow all night, but the accumulation is only forecast to be between 2 and 5 inches. Shadow and I will have to get up early tomorrow to shovel our way out to play in the snow. I am attending a breakfast in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. at 9 am. It is less than a half mile away, so it will probably be easier to walk than to get the car shoveled off. I am looking forward to spending the morning honoring MLK. So much of my time in the past few months was focused on the Nonviolence in Action film series and tomorrow morning’s event will give me the time to reflect on what I learned and give thanks to Dr. King and all of the people, past and present, who believe in the power of nonviolence.

2026 Life Logs, Day 17: Mishap at Sunday River
Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026
Weather: Sunny AM, Turning Cloudy; High Temp 47, Low 32 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

My activities today started by taking my car in for an oil change and tire rotation. But the rotation didn’t happen as there was not enough tread on the front tires to bother. So, I ended up with four new tires. The B-O-A-T acronym came to mind—Break Out Another Thousand. This time it was a car, not a boat, but same, same.

Then it was on to the Green for the Saturday rally. The weather was mild today. We had about 150 people attend and a few dogs tagged along as well. Dogs for peaceful resistance!

I had planned to go home afterwards and just relax, but when I looked at the weather report, I changed my mind. I was going to drive to Costco tomorrow to return the huge bag of cold weather gear I bought for Justin and family but ended up not needing. Tomorrow’s weather starts out with rain here and snow further north, and then we get snow later in the day and overnight. I decided that I would rather drive up late this afternoon, so I did.

On my way home I got a message from Heather. I decided to pull over to read the message, and it was not news I wanted to hear. Heather, Jed, Jonah, and Ollie were skiing/snowboarding at Sunday River in Maine today. On the final run of the day, Ollie’s board went out from under him. He landed on his right arm which resulted in a break just above his wrist. Luckily Jonah was with him, and they were able to call ski patrol. They X-rayed and splinted the forearm right on the spot. It was an unfortunate mishap, but Heather said things went as smoothly as this sort of thing can. Jonah was super helpful and Ollie was in pretty good spirits. But that will end Ollie’s snowboarding for now.

2026 Life Logs, Day 16: Slowing Down a Bit
Date: Friday, January 16, 2026
Weather: Sunny, Windy and Cold; High 32, Low Temp 29 degrees F
Location: At Home with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA

I survived another week of meetings and obligations that has kept me very busy. Today I had an Indivisible meeting and an Encore meeting, a trip to the library to deliver checks, and I ran a few personal errands. It was a busy day, but not too busy, which is a delightful change. I looked at my calendar just now, and from tonight through the next two weeks, my calendar looks much more normal. A meeting here and there, social activities here and there, but nothing like the last couple of months. So, I am celebrating tonight and am going to actually get to bed before midnight. Life is good.