Friday, February 16, 2018

The Excitement Builds!

We are two days away from departure and both Tippy and I are beyond excited. I went over to her house yesterday to exchange a few items and talk details. She opened the door and we both squealed and did the happy dance! As close as it is to becoming reality, it is still hard to believe. As I said before, I feel very fortunate that Tippy would tackle it, only finding out about Jan's withdrawal several weeks ago. I also feel bad for the way things worked out for Jan.  We had planned this trip over a year ago and had just gotten to the point that we were discussing details and feeling anticipation. I know it's a disappointment. She has been to South Africa, so I know she's seen the animals and experienced the culture, so it isn't like missing the whole thing. We'll have to compare notes when I get back.

We leave Monday morning, from SAV to ATL. From Atlanta we have an 8+ hour flight to Amsterdam, a 3+ hour layover, and another 8+ hour flight to Nairobi. If we survive that, we will be ready for whatever follows! We will be staying in hotels, lodges and camps, so I expect wifi to be sketchy. I would love to post a few pictures each day, as I did from Panama, but it will depend on wifi (and time and energy!!).
Do you think Tippy is excited!?!

You need to know the continuing saga of the Yellow Fever vaccine.....Tippy went to Jacksonville as planned. Once there, I received an urgent message saying that they had to see her itinerary, which she didn't have with her. So I scrambled around and emailed her what I had, hoping for the best.  Some time later, I sent her a text saying, "I had to have an update. What's happening?". Well, in the process of getting her background information, they discovered that she has been taking a very low dosage (less than 5 mg) of prednisone for a period of time; therefore, for some reason, she can't get the Yellow Fever vaccine.  The clinic didn't hesitate to give her a waiver, which should be accepted; but, had we known this, she could have gotten everything in Savannah!! There was just no consistency in how things were done. I had to have a note from my doctor. Tippy didn't.  Both clinics did ask about our itinerary, but no one asked me about medications, etc.  Those of you with National Healthcare were surprised at the difficulty I was having; so, while it may not be prefect, know that it is a step above us!

And yes, I have a safari hat!!  Once I saw Tippy's trendy hat, I returned my frumpy one and got one like hers. Hats aren't my thing, so I don't look as good as Tippy.....but I can always dream...... I have to tell you that I told Tippy how fortunate I felt that she would tackle all of this with only weeks to get things done (two visas, vaccinations, etc) . She said, "I have to tell you that I'm not a good planner, but I'm great at spontaneous'. Hands down, she has proven that!

Well, today I did my last official act of Resistance for a while.  I sent faxes about our government's inability/unwillingness to do anything for DACA kids and gun control. My three reps (Graham, Scott and Sanford) got it first, then I shared the joy with anyone I thought deserved it, in this case McConnell, Ryan and Grassley. This time I literally told them to "get off your asses" and do something positive to help vulnerable people. It may be a good thing that I'm leaving the country!  But, just as I'm going to "the bush", Mueller has made a move and things are beginning to pop. What will a news junky like me do in the wilderness?? My hope is that I can hear the major things, but otherwise unplug. In any case, I hope everyone else will continue that fight in our absence.

The mere fact that I've "felt"  like I have the time to do this scares me.....what should I be doing, what am I forgetting??? Tonight is a restful night. My clothes are already laid out and tomorrow I press anything that needs it. Sunday I put everything in the bag....and away on Monday. The remainder of my time will be with Rosie and Mama Mia. It is so hard to leave them, though I know I have the best person I could possibly have to stay with them. Though her walking schedule will be different, I've alerted all the dog owners and friends, that if they see Rosie out with her caregiver, to stop and give her some loving!  I've also informed the pet-sitter that Mama Mia has suddenly taken to getting on the bed in the morning and in the evening, which Rosie doesn't like. So, Rosie is on my left and Mama walks across the bottom of the bed (while Rosie growls and cavorts) to come up on the right side. That works okay with me, but am not sure how it will go with a stranger!! This is the longest time I've been away from them and I will truly miss them.

Thanks so much for listening to my rambling and random thoughts. It will be a while before you hear from me again (unless on Facebook), but I will update again as soon as I can.  Rest up and prepare to be bored by photographs!!

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Life is Chaotic

It seems like forever since I posted last and I don't even know where to begin. Since my last post was Dec. 29, I guess I'll start with New Years, which seems so long ago! This year I actually ushered 2018 in with a toast on the hour. Melodee came over and stayed overnight so we could watch the festivities and toast the NY. We had a light dinner and a good evening, with lots of animated conversation. It was fun. Rosie was in hog's heaven to have someone to please and tease.



Then, early in January, we had the Blizzard of 2018! It wasn't a real blizzard, but it felt like it to us!  It was VERY cold for about a week and we did get 3-5 inches of snow.  It was beautiful coming down - light, fluffy, large flakes, scattered by the wind - but, our houses are not built for those temperatures, nor is the Dept of Transportation equipped to clear roads. So, I just hunkered down. I could have run the heat 24/7 but it was only going to heat to a certain temperature. At night, the thermostat was set to 65 (burr!) and Rosie and I got under the duvet and fared well. In the morning I would turn the thermostat up a few degrees, grab a cup of coffee and my tablet, and crawl back into bed until I could get the temp up a bit.  Rosie just stayed in bed until it was warm enough for her to come out.  Toward the end of the week, I was looking in the cupboard to determine what I could cook without having to go to the grocery store!  I didn't make a move until the snow was all gone and people were going back to work. I felt lucky that I didn't have to get out in it.

Then, on the 17th I went way outside my comfort zone and invited friends over for a get together. When my mother was with me, at Christmastime we always spent a day decorating the tree and house, and then we baked for friends and neighbors. None of those things are quite the same doing them on my own, and I realized those "traditions" are gone. Somewhere came the notion to have friends over and create a new tradition. I resisted the idea long enough that I wasn't able to do it between Christmas and NY, which was my first thought. Then, the restaurant I wanted to cater it was closed from NYs to the 16th of January. So, I set it for the 17th (which coincidentally is Allan's birthday, and three days before mine). The invitation list included my Drinking Liberally friends, with whom I socialize outside of DL, and some other liberal friends who are not a part of DL. From my perspective it was a good group and I hope everyone enjoyed it. The menu was vegetarian and I was pleased with the food. While it may have been new to some, everyone was interested in trying it as it looked good.  The invitation was "In Celebration of Friends" and I think I will make this a new tradition in honor of friends. 

I celebrated my birthday of January 20th......by attending the Women's March in Charleston, SC. Though I had a fabulous time and was pleased to do my part in the Resistance, I hope I won't have to spend next birthday protesting. Tippy (my Resister Sister), Franci (whom we met last year when we all went by bus to DC protest), and Melodee were going with me, but Melodee dropped out. I advertised an open seat on Lowcountry Individible and got a response in a matter of minutes. So, Kathy joined us and we all had a great time. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Charleston. There was a greater turnout than last year, and the speakers were very diverse and inspirational. They didn't discover it was my birthday until we were on our way home, so they gave me snacks and sang "Happy Birthday" to me as we were in the parking lot going our separate ways. It was a great celebration!  Then Tippy and I went to my neighbor's to pick up Rosie. They couldn't go to the rally, so they offered to keep Rosie....and I think they have a sweet spot for her. They invited us in for a glass of wine and to hear about our escapades, and it was fun to see Rosie and Bogey, their dog, enjoying each other's company. The signs are always the fun part of a protest or rally and I can't resist photographing them; so, enjoy a sampling.


In addition to our protest in SC, Gray Panthers were spotted protesting in the Ocala, FL area! I thought the Panther had retired, but I'm pleased to see her active again.



Aside from all that, life goes on with the usual things that occupy my time - lunches with friends, Liberal Ladies, Drinking Liberally, hospice visits, feral cats,etc.......and I'm trying to make time for zentangle so I won't let it fall by the wayside. It was after the Women's rally that I started focusing on our upcoming trip to Africa on Feb. 19.  After getting back from Panama, I sent my passport to obtain visas, then I started trying to get the required vaccinations. Yellow Fever vaccine is required to get into Kenya. So, I called my doctor, who doesn't give them. Then I called the health department, who no longer gives them, but they provided me with two phone numbers. The first one no longer gives YF and the second number was no longer in service!  By this time I'm worried.  Someone told me of a service called Passport Health (or something like that), whom I called. They have a central answering service and, while they have an office in Bluffton, the only offices that give the YF vaccine are Greenville and Mt. Pleasant, with the closest being two hours away!!  All of that happened on a Friday, so I spent the weekend looking around the Savannah area and found that the Chatham Country Health Department gives travel injections.  So, I called on Monday and was told that they did do the YF. All I needed to do was get a letter from my doctor saying I was healthy enough to take it (due to my age!), print out the release form online and bring it with me, and just show up before 3PM, which I did. It was a wonderful facility, well organized, and the nurse was wonderful. We solved the problems of the world, had a few laughs, and hugged each other when it was all over. Needless to say, it was good to get it all behind me. I also got Hep A and Typhoid shots as they were recommended.

Naturally, Jan and I are in touch and getting excited about the trip. Then around Jan. 25 or 26 Jan calls from Scottsdale, where she's visiting friends. She had injured her leg getting into the car and had been on crutches!! She's going home over the weekend and had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, but wanted to give me a heads up. Needless to say, we're both disappointed, but I can certainly continue with the trip while Jan might be the one missing it all. The following day Tippy invited Rosie and me to come over for a walk on the beach, where Rosie can be let off leash and run like a mad dog!  In preface to telling her about Jan's injury, I said, "Could I interest you in a trip to Africa?". She gasped a little and said, "Tell me about it", which I did. With no further ado, she said she would go if Jan was unable to go. Then on Tuesday, Jan called OAT and cancelled her trip and Tippy called to take her spot. That was Jan. 30, so now Tippy has to get visas and vaccines in record time. She immediately sent her passport for expedited visas (keeping fingers crossed), and I was so pleased that I had already done the vaccine legwork and could save her lots of time. This past Thursday we went to Chatham County Health Dept only to be told that she could only get the YF vaccine with an appointment. The head nurse came out and said they only received 20 doses for February and they were all promised. So, we went to lunch and called everyone on a list of possibilites they gave us, all for naught. Then we started looking online. Finally, she is schedule to get the shots on this coming Tuesday in JACKSONVILLE!  Can you believe it? We have stopped making the vaccine in the US (who knows why!) and we now get it from France......and even then it isn't the real YF vaccine. It's something like Stamarille, made by the same company that made FY vac.  Unbelievable! Anyway, I feel sorry for Jan that she isn't getting to go, but I also feel very fortunate that Tippy is going. It's always more fun with a friend. You can guess how we will be spending the next 15 days!!

Other than that, I have seen several good movies since the Golden Globe Awards. The Post was very good, but I especially liked 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Tomorrow I'm seeing The Darkest Hour, which is also supposed to be great. 

Finally, a big thank you to all I heard from on my birthday, either by card, email, Facebook or calls. I feel very fortunate to have such wonderful friends and I truly appreciate your thinking of me in such thoughtful ways.