Captain’s Log – Day 15 – Destination Unknown

Captain’s Log – Day 15 – Destination Unknown

It is light year 2020, on what feels like the 99th day of March, where we find ourselves in a place we couldn’t have imagined a year or even six months ago.

Observations have indicated that the crew is living on the edge due to the fact that our destination is unknown. Not only do we have no any idea where we’re going but we have no clue how long it will take us to get there or when we’ll be able to find our way back home. We all miss our friends and family but we are on a mission to save lives. We must stay strong and do what we have to do in order for our mission to be successful. There are always uncertainties in life as much as we like to pretend we have some control. Our current orders are to stay the course, take care of the things we can control and let go of everything else. Just do your job. It is as essential to the mission’s success as the person who is fighting on the front lines.

The good news is that when you don’t have a clear destination set, you can wander around and find some incredible places you never would have known existed. Below are pictures from a Field Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard that we stumbled upon while exploring the island with no set destination in mind. Get out and explore a new neighborhood or trail. You never know what you may find.













Where am I goin'?
I don't know
Where am I headin'?
I ain't certain
All that I know
Is I am on my way
When will I be there?
I don't know
When will I get there?
I ain't certain
All that I know
Is I am on my way
~Paint Your Wagon

Captain's Log - Day 14 - Blessings in Disguise


Hello My Friends –

I hope you all had a good weekend, enjoyed some sunshine on Saturday and stayed safe and connected - all while remaining at a safe social distance.

As difficult as things are around the world right now, I consider us all extremely lucky. While all our lives have been disrupted and inconvenienced, we have the technology that allows us to work and continue to stay connected with friends and family. My friends and I used the Zoom app to play games together Saturday night (Left/Right/Center) and I’ve been able to connect with others through Face Time, FB messenger, a text or a good old fashion telephone call. I believe we all lucky to have everything we “need” (food, clothing, shelter) and we just need to handle the inconveniences of the situation and go without some of our “wants” for a while. To keep my sanity, I’ve limited my news consumption to 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night in order to stay informed. These 24 hour news channels basically repeat the same information all day long so get what you need and then turn it off. I guarantee it will be good for your mental health.

While reminiscing with friends over the weekend, we were all saying how much harder this would have been if we had to do this without the technology we have now. We were trying to remember how any of us were able to meet up in the days before cell phones. How did we ever find anyone down the beach? If we planned to meet “in the square” and someone didn’t show up at the agreed upon time, how long did we wait for them before eventually moving on with the plans and hoping they would catch up or standing around the pay phone waiting for someone to call it and let us know the new plan.

Right now we are being forced to adapt to this new normal and since there isn’t anything we can do about it, we need to find ways to make the best of the situation. The quicker we get everyone to do their part to stay isolated, the sooner we can get through this.

If you’ve ever seen the movie Evan Almighty, you might remember the scene where Morgan Freeman’s G-d character says:

Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?
If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous?

If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

We have been given this rare opportunity to slow down and, while the reason for it is scary and stressful, we should try to make the most of it and find all the blessings and opportunities it is providing us.

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few photos from the “most photographed church in Vermont.” I’m not surprised it has been given that distinction since I must have hundreds of it from every season over the past 30+ years. No matter how many times I’ve taken this photo, each one is unique whether because of the change in seasons, the lighting or the people there at that moment in time. If you’ve ever taken a foliage tour of Vermont, you would likely have made a stop here. It is located right up the road from my in-laws tree farm on Rt. 25 in Waits River. I’ve seen it on calendars, placemats, postcards, puzzles and all sorts of tourist materials.

We always got a good laugh when our crazy neighbor thought she could prevent people from taking pictures of the church by posting a sign saying “views from this property are registered, photographing them is against the law.” Sorry Ms. Morrison - the views are there for all of us to enjoy.

I hope you take the opportunity to slow down and enjoy some new views.













Please reach out if you need help with anything.

Peace out, my friends.

Captain's Log - Day 11 - Happy Friday!

Captain’s Log – Day 11 - Happy Friday!
Good Morning Friends –

I hope you are well and doing the best you can under these crazy circumstances we are all in.

I’m sure we all have those projects we’ve put off because we can never find the time to do them. Consider this your ticket to get all those project’s done. I’m still plugging away on my photo project and having fun tripping down memory lane. I’ve been sharing many of the photos with friends and family and they’ve been digging out their photos and sharing them too.

It looks like we will have some good weather here in Boston, at least for tomorrow, so I hope you all get out and enjoy it. The walls sure feel like they’re closing these past couple of weeks. Of course, stay safe and keep your distance but it will do your body and your mind some good to get outside. Another perk of our current situation is gas is cheap and there’s hardly any traffic.

Well, hello Sunshine, my old friend:





 

 

To all my fellow Patriot fans, I hope you have fun celebrate 3/28 tomorrow.





Have a great weekend. Stay safe and keep your distance.

Captain's Log - Day 9 - This is Your Life

                    

Good Morning Friends -

Are you settled in to your new home office for the long haul? Have you been working on house projects that you never seem to find the time to do? Have you been getting out for some fresh air and sunshine? We are all worried about physical health but I think our metal health is just as important and will have a lasting impact on the rest of our lives.

  

I’m still working on my photo sorting project. Last night I was reliving so may fantastic memories and thought “this is your life.” All my loved ones, friends, family, places I’ve been, all right here in these boxes of pictures. Digital is great and it certainly takes less time, space and money but most of our photos stay trapped on our computers or phones after we text or email them to a few people. There’s something about holding a physical picture just like holding a real paper book. It’s not the same as looking on a screen. We no longer have to be selective about how many photos we take as long as we have enough storage on our devices or in the cloud. We can take thousands in the matter of minutes. Back in the day, we only got 12, 24 or 36 pictures to a roll so we had to use them wisely or carry a big stash of film (which I always did). Not only was it expensive for film and developing but you would then have to hold your breath as you opened the developed photos after waiting over a week just hoping you were lucky enough to get a few really good shots. I’m sure many of you have never even had to load or change a roll of film. Yes, I know, I’m old.

 

I remember being at a Boston Celtics/Chicago Bulls game that went into triple overtime. It was a battle between Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. I was able to sneak down to the court and sit down next to the row of photographers with my camera/zoom lens in hand. The sad part was that I had already run out of film so I was just pretending to take pictures. These pictures were from a different game but probably my last pictures of Michael Jordan in the Boston Garden:

 

   

 

Does anyone remember the show “This is Your Life”? It was before my time, I’m not that old, but I remember seeing reruns of it. At the start of each episode, the host of the show would surprise a mystery guest (typically a celebrity of some kind). Consulting the series' trademark red book, the guest is told that "This is your life!" and is then transported to a previously-prepared television studio. As the host recounted important events in the person's life, the guest was reunited with family members, old friends, and other important figures from their past and present.

              

 

The subjects of This is Your Life were kept in the dark until they were on a live TV where every little detail of their lives might be examined. It's not hard to believe that some of them were bound to be a bit unhappy about the situation. Some of the subjects found out about the show in advance and flat out refused to appear. The show was not without concern about what the shock of being brought to a live show might do to an unsuspecting guest. However, most of the subjects relaxed after the initial shock and enjoyed meeting friends, acquaintances, and relatives that they hadn't seen in a long time. Imagine seeing your fifth grade teacher who helped you with a reading problem when you were ten years old, or an Aunt who took your family in during the depression? Or who you spent time with in isolation during the virus pandemic? Or someone who you saved from drowning when you were 20-years-old and they were 4-years-old? Or the casting director who gave you your first job in show business thirty years ago?

Would you be happy to be the subject of “This is Your Life”? What would your “Red Book” say? Ten or twenty years from now, what will you remember about the corona virus pandemic of 2020? Will you remember the difficulties of getting toilet paper or will you remember having the opportunity to slow down and spend time with your family? Will you have developed a new skill or found a new passion now that you have more time in your day not having to commute? What do you think you will remember about these days? I’m hoping I’ll remember how we all eventually realized that we had to do what was necessary to save lives. The sooner we all socially isolate the sooner we’ll be able to get back to socializing again. It’s hard to believe just a few short weeks ago we were all happy to be staring at our screens and now that that is pretty much all we can do, we want to get out and connect in person. I am thankful for the technology we have so we can at least stay connected through the screens. My friend’s company even started having social gatherings by video conference just to see each other face to face safely through a screen. As much as we may be isolated, we are not alone.  

Take care my friends. Have a great day and, as always, please let me know if you need help with anything.

Hang in there. We can do this!

Stay connected but

PS. Sorry for being so late with today’s log but I had some actual work to do which has to take priority. I’ve already gotten a few e-mails asking “Are you ok? Haven’t heard from you this morning. I look forward to your emails in the morning!  Just checking that you are all right.” Glad you are enjoying these and thanks for checking in on me. You guys are the best!!!

Peace out my friends.

Captain's Log - Day 8

Good Morning Comrades –

 

How’s everyone doing today? I’m a little disappointed we finally got more snow in Vermont and I can’t go snowmobiling but I know that many of you are happy you didn’t have to commute in it.

 

I hope you are all trying to stay positive in these crazy times.  Imagine the stories we’ll be able to tell about how we survived the corona virus pandemic of 2020. I can picture when today’s babies turn 20-25 years old and they break out the last roll of toilet paper their parents bought these past 2 weeks.

 

I’ve certainly had my moments of anxiety and panic but I’m trying to let go of the things I cannot control, such as:

 

·       If others follow the rules of social distancing

·       The actions of others

·       Predicting what will happen

·       Other people’s motives

·       The amount of toilet paper/food at the store

·       How long this will last

·       How other’s react

·       The long term damage

·       The health of loved ones

·       The selfishness of people thinking it’s ok to go out because they’re healthy

·       My family in Italy

·       My 401k losses (DON’T LOOK!!!!)

·       Millions of other things….

 

I’m doing my best to focus on the things I can control, such as:

 

·       My positive attitude

·       How I follow CDC recommendations

·       My own social distancing

·       Turning off the news

·       Limiting my social media (blocking the negative people)

·       Finding fun things to do at home

·       Checking in on family and friends

·       Offering to shop for elderly family, friends and neighbors

·       Sharing old photos J

·       Getting out for some sunshine and exercise

·       Being thankful for all the technology that allows us to continue working and stay connected

·       My kindness and grace

 

I’ve been sorting boxes of pictures for 3 days now. I’ve filled up a trash bag full of people I don’t remember and scenic pics and sharing sweet memories with family and friends. It’s been a good reminder to write names on photos – especially babies. It’s hard to tell who they are 30 years later, unless, of course, it’s your baby.

 

Attached are a few photos from last year’s Balloon Festival at the Stoweflake Inn in Stowe, Vermont.

 

Since I haven’t done my hair or put any makeup on, I’ll show you my favorite coffee mug instead of my mug (I know, you’re surprised it’s not a Patriots mug):

 

 

Please show me yours. 

 

I miss you all.  Have a great day and please reach out if you need anything.

 

Stay safe and positive. We will get through this.  J

 

 

Captain's Log - Day 7 - Social Distancing

Good Morning My Friends,

 

How was your first weekend practicing social distancing?  Are you going stir crazy yet? I spent most of the weekend sorting pictures. I filled up a big trash bag with unknown people and scenic pics and got a big storage box of photos down to 3 little photo boxes. I found some great gems and awesome memories. Now I need to get a quality scanner to digitize what's left. I also got a head start on my spring cleaning and other projects around the house in addition to some Netflix binging.

 

I’ve attached a few more spring photos and below is another poem from my friend Janet:

 

Fresh air is a gift right about now
Keep on reading I’ll tell you how.

There is no shortage, there’s plenty to go ‘round
It’s easily accessible even when housebound.

You can get it any time, no limits In place
It’s sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.

You don’t have to ration it or go into a store
No matter how many get it there’s always more.

You can share it with others without concern
You don’t have to wait in line for a turn.

Get out of the house and go for a walk
Use the time to self-reflect instead of a talk.

This will be behind us soon I hope and pray
But in the meantime try to enjoy every day.

~ J. Surette

 

What did you do on your first weekend of quarantine?

 

Stay safe and have a great day!

 

 

Captain’s Log – Day 4 – Working in Isolation from Home Base

I thought I would share my morning e-mails to my co-workers here:

 

Good Morning Friends –

 

We’ve almost made it through our first week of working from home. I’m curious to know how everyone is handling their new normal. Are you enjoying not having to commute? That is certainly one of the perks.

 

Someone commented that they loved the butterfly photo in my email yesterday so I thought I’d share a few more of them (see below and attached). These were taken at Butterfly World in Florida in 2007 when I went down to visit my Mom. The two butterflies in the last photo were like that for hours – who knew?

 

I’ve been making a list of all the projects around the house that I never seem to find the time to do. I’m hoping to get my closet cleaned out this weekend. I’m also looking for good Netflix recommendations. I’ve almost finished “You” which is creepy but so good and I got Bill to start watching “The Good Place.”  We’ve also been watching “Better Call Saul,” “Good Girls,” and “Dispatches from Elsewhere” on regular tv.  What are you watching?  Anything good?

 

I’m not sure where this came from but thought I’d share:

 

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

~Author Unknown

 

I also found some good advice in an article about staying sane while working from home:  https://www.wcvb.com/article/how-to-work-from-home-without-losing-your-sanity-1/31463941#

 

Take care my friends. I’m so thankful to have the technology to work and keep in touch with you all.  I miss your faces.  J

 

Have a great day and please, as always, let me know if there is anything I can help you with.

 

Be safe out there.

Captains Log - Day 3 - Isolation and First Day of Spring

Happy Spring! 

A reminder that, after a long and not so cold and snowy winter, there is rebirth and hope. We will get through this corona virus season but I'm not exactly sure if we will ever be the same. 

If you know anyone who is still out partying at spring break or getting together with friends for a corona party, please do whatever you can to convince them to stop and think about how many people they could get sick or kill with their selfishness. They have to realize how serious this is by now. This is not just a bad strain of the flu. 

The majority of us are blessed to have technology and Netflix and all sorts of things to keep us entertained at home. Act like you have the virus and just stay home to save the lives of many. Be a hero. You can save lives and give the doctors and nurses a chance to save more. It's really not that hard. If people don't wise up there will be many more casualties and we will be forced into isolation. 

I'm praying we all survive this terrible season and look forward to the seasons to come on the other side of it. Be safe and stay healthy my friends.

~~~~~

To everything there is a season
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
...
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
...
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, A TIME TO REFRAIN FROM EMBRACING
...
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
~The Byrds

Peace and Love My Friends!

Captain's Log - Day 2 - Home Base Isolation

I can't completely wrap my head around the enormity of what is happening in the world right now. It is just so surreal. It's like an eerie episode of the Twilight Zone or a Stephen King novel. How are we going to survive this? I just read a headline that the United States expects an 18 month long pandemic with mass shortages. I didn't click to read the article because I just can't take anymore horrifying news at the moment. If I slide down that rabbit hole I may never get myself back out of it.

Working from home again today was a little easier although I am frustrated that everything seems to be taking so much longer to accomplish. I'm just not set up to work efficiently but I'm going to figure out what I need to do it because it sounds like I'll be doing it for the foreseeable future.

I barely got any sleep last night. I was up past 2am, woke up around 4am and got out of bed at 6am which is earlier than I get up when I have to get ready and commute to work instead of grabbing a cup of coffee and walking in the next room. I do enjoy the easy commute and not having to wear a bra so I guess that's a bit of a gray lining - I don't think it lives up to silver status but it's something.

B went out to Stop and Shop first thing this morning to try to get some essentials. They had a small supply of toilet paper but not much else that we really needed. He walked in as soon as the doors opened and went past a guy who was filling a carriage full of single rolls of toilet paper. He walked past him and picked up a 20 pack and left. The guy just looked at him as if questioning that it could be that easy. Is this what it's come down to? If and when life gets back to (our new) normal, are we going to have quarantined shelters stockpiled with toilet paper? I just don't get it. I've offered to deliver it to friends in the area who may not have been able to get any but everyone seems to have gotten enough for now.

After being home for the past few days we were starting to go a little stir crazy so we took a drive down the beach on my lunch hour. There were crews of men working on a construction project and tons of people out on the beach like it was a summer day although most were in pairs or what looked like groups of families. The sun was shining and it was chilly but nobody seemed to mind the cold. I loved it. It felt so good to get out and get some vitamin D and some brisk fresh air before heading back to my new home office.

I can honestly say the year 2020 sucks! Not only has the corona virus shut down life as we know it but then Tom Brady announced he is leaving the New England Patriots - on St. Patrick's Day of all days. If you know me at all then you know how much this breaks my heart. I absolutely adore him. He gave us so much joy for the past 20 years and I just can't imagine him in another uniform playing for another team. It's just not right but it looks like TB12 will be playing in TB next season. How the hell did that happen? The world just doesn't make sense anymore. Of course, that assumes that they will be able to play football come September. It was a great 20 year run and I am thankful he provided so much joy in my football loving heart. I wish it were the only thing I were sad about and it almost seems trivial to even care about a stupid game but I love football. I remember being a Patriots fan when we were just excited to win a game let alone make it to the playoffs. I love Tom Brady and will root for him to win as long as he is not playing my Patriots. I'll always be loyal to my team, even if it is against my love, Tom. I wish him well and thank him for all the good times, comebacks, incredible plays and parades. I've been to all of them.

It's a sad, sad world we're living in and I wish I knew how we are going to make it through to the other side. I have checked in on people I haven't talked to in a while. I've called and asked people if they needed anything. I want to help but I don't know what to do other than to stay isolated and do what I can to prevent myself, my guy, or anyone else from getting sick. B is still recovering from prostate cancer and was scheduled to start radiation tomorrow but that has been postponed. Not only because of the pandemic but some health insurance bullsh!t. I honestly have very little confidence in our healthcare system. I have confidence in the doctors and nurses who work hard to heal their patients but it's the insurance companies that will be the death of us all.

I'm so sorry to come back to blogging and be such a downer but there really isn't much to be happy about but I'm trying to stay positive. I've been sending good morning emails to my coworkers every day offering help if they need it, give them little words of encouragement, silly bitmoji pictures to make them smile and a reminder that our mental health is just as important as our physical health. I'm trying to find the silver lining but it's not easy to spot. I'm thankful I live in a safe house with someone I love and we have what we need to survive but who knows how long that will last.

These are uncertain times when we just need to take care of each other and pray we make it through. How are you handling all of this? Are you freaking out as much as I am or are you thinking it's not a big deal? Please, please, please try to understand it is a very big deal and you could be the one who saves many by doing your part to keep from spreading it down the line. Please take it deadly serious, because it is, and stay safe my friends.

Peace ☮ and Love 💔

It's a Whole New World...

Captain's Log:  Day 1 - Home Base - Isolation due to Coronavirus

It is the end of the world as we know it. What better time to dust off the ol' blog and write something? To tell the truth, I'm scared. We've never experienced anything like this and I'm not sure how the world is ever going to recover from it.

Two weeks ago we all thought that being diligent about washing our hands was enough. We thought that it was just some new strain of flu that gets hyped up every election year. We survived all the others, what would make us think we wouldn't survive this one? Well, we've never seen anything like this before and we can't imagine the destruction and devastation it will do if we don't slow the spread.

We are all at risk. We all need to do our part to get through it with the least amount of casualties. We all need to isolate as much as possible in order to slow it down and give ourselves a fighting chance. There is just too much at risk.

Things got surreal very fast. First they cancelled NBA games, then all sporting events, then my hometown canceled school for a MONTH. Seriously? A little extreme? No, it's not. We saw what it was doing to our sister city in Italy and we tried to get a head start on saving lives. We didn't want what was happening there to happen here.

Last weekend I went to a wake with many family and friends. I had been avoiding shaking hands or touching anyone but we did what we always do at wakes - we hugged the grieving and people we hadn't seen in years. We were careful to wash our hands and not touch our faces but is that really enough? This past weekend we found out that the son of the person who died, who we all hugged, was sick with the flu and had coronovirus symptoms. He was unable to get tested so we don't know if he has the virus but we also don't know if he doesn't. He is feeling better now but we still have no idea if we are now carrying that virus or whether we will recover if we get symptoms or pass it on to our loved ones.

I was so frustrated seeing friends out at restaurant and bars over the past weekend acting like they didn't have a care in the world. Trying to tell me it was all media hype and political sabotage from people wanting to crash the economy. I asked them how that was possible considering what was happening in China, Italy and across the world. We practically had to tie my in-laws down to get them to stay at home. They have a full social calendar and are out at some function or another almost every day and night of the week. It took a while but I think they are starting to realize the seriousness of it now that Disney parks are closed, restaurants and liquor stores are closing, construction is being halted, all events are being cancelled. Flights that are months away are being canceled. This is some serious sh!t!!

People started panic buying toilet paper, hand sanitizer and everything else they could get their hands on. The supermarket shelves are empty in my neighborhood (just outside of Boston). There is no toilet paper, no fresh vegetables, no chicken, no canned vegetables, except 2 cans of lima beans and 2 cans of asparagus. There were 2 bags of frozen pearl onions in an otherwise empty freezer section. The soup isle was bare except for a bunch of Manhattan chowdah. Bostonians would rather starve to death before eating that. There isn't a food shortage or toilet paper shortage but they can't keep anything in stock because many people are too selfish to consider the next person's needs.

When I left work last Friday I got home and had a panic attack. My anxiety had been increasing more and more over the past couple of weeks and skyrocketed on my commute home Friday. There was no way I was going to be able to get back on the train and commute to work with this virus spreading like wildfire. I took the picture below during rush hour Friday morning. I was the ONLY person on the platform when I usually have to fight my way onto a crowded train. It was spooky. Thankfully my office made the decision to allow us to work from home and I'm so relieved. At least I will be able to continue to earn a paycheck while we're locked down for the foreseeable future.

I hope and pray that you are all safe although I know it is unlikely that anyone will actually read this since I haven't written anything in YEARS but it feels a little better getting it out.

I'm thankful I am stuck at home with someone I love. I hope we still like each other after this is over. Be safe my friends and do your part to get us all through this. Act like you already have the virus and don't want to spread it to your loved ones because if you don't you probably will.

Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly. Offer to pick something up if you are going to the store. You don't have to have contact with them. You can leave it at their door and then call them to tell them it is there. Be kind to one another. Take the time you will have to work on projects you never seem to have time for. Get the spring cleaning done early, clean out the closets, learn a language, catch up on your favorite shows, read a book, take a nap, resurrect your blog that you haven't touched in years (hi :o), find a new show on Netfix to binge watch, start an exercise program, do something to stay sane and healthy.

Please stay safe, socially distance yourself as much as possible, isolate if you can and take this serious because it is deadly serious. I pray we all make it through to the other side.

Peace and Love
~MB