Summer is Right Around the Corner!

Rosie and I had a very pleasant morning after sleeping in a bit. It was a cooler morning 69-70ish) and I decided to take Rosie to the park for her morning walk. The park was quiet and it was a great way to start the day. Rosie loved sniffing around and it was pleasant enough that she walked along briskly. I then came home and make collard greens and curried black-eyed peas. That’s something I usually have only once a year for New Year's Day, but this combination is so tasty that it’s become a regular.

Last week I received a letter saying that I was elected in 2020 to serve as a delegate to the 2021 SC Democratic Convention! I didn’t know I ran and am not sure how I got elected! I was an alternate last year so maybe that had something to do with it. The whole process is done online and I will be interested to see how it goes.  This happened just as Lynn and I were trying to cut back on our political involvement, which is almost a hopeless goal with our political situation as it is. The 2022 election will be here before we know it, and we have to hold our position and gain as much as possible. Joe Cunningham, whom we managed to elect to the Senate for one term, has declared his run for SC Governor. Lord knows we need a progressive, forward-looking governor! So, that sets us up to get involved again! For the first time since the election, we have contacted our Crescent liberals to get the ball rolling again. Both Lynn and I have been trying to encourage some help or even people who will take over from us, but there has been no response. So, we shall see how things progress. No sooner than we contacted our local Dems and promised we would not bombard their email inbox than we learned that Joe Cunningham would be coming to Bluffton. So, we let everyone know and we hope there will be a good turnout for him. So, whether we are ready or not, it looks like the 2022 election has started! All of the usual suspects showed up and we had a nice gathering. We have watched as Joe became a better campaigner, as well as worked across the aisle when he was in office. Tippy and I lined up to have our photo taken with him--- we have photos with him through his entire political life. In fact, check out THIS. Tippy’s hat will inform you of how far back we go with him.

The guy sitting in front of us kept rubbing
Rosie's tummy. She was in her element!

Though the heat of summer is just around the corner, we have been having a wonderful spring. The temperatures have been dropping at night, so the mornings are cool with temperatures rising through the day. On Saturday (5/15), Tippy and Kieran were coming out my way and I joined them for an OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) event at USCB. It was a beautiful afternoon and I took Rosie, both to get her more comfortable riding in the car and being in crowds. I’d taken her to the farmer’s market one afternoon, but it was too hot and she didn’t like it. In any case, this was her thing! She found her people!  It was an older, calmer group and the music was not too loud. People were sitting in the shade and she went from person to person and just soaked up the attention. Everyone was very welcoming of her and she loved it.

With the mask restrictions lifted, my hope is that some of the Zoom opportunities will remain.

• Last week, The 19^th News had a great program with Cabinet members Marcia Fudge, Jennifer Granholm, and Gina Raimondo. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and hear their knowledgeable plans for moving forward. 

• Then on 5/16, I watched an inspiring program with Dr. Jane Goodall and Peter Wohlleben (The Hidden Life of Trees)! I am in awe of their connection to the universe/nature and their ability to share their passion. I try to catch Dr. Goodall whenever and wherever I can. She has led such an amazing life and contributes so much positive energy to this planet.

• Through SC Humanities, I was able to join a community screening of the documentary Meltdown in Dixie, which took place in Orangeburg, SC. My first thought was that it would be about the students who were shot there some years ago, but this was a totally different incident. It was available on Vimeo and we were provided a link for a day before the discussion, which was also very informative. If you can find it, it is well worth seeing to get a glimpse of the hatred and divisiveness that plagues our country.

• The other documentary I'm looking for is After the Storm: America's Enemy Within. It was made by Robert Moore, a journalist with ITV,  who was actually among all of the insurrectionists on January 6. He actually followed up with some of the people he met there to determine their motivation. So, UK folks may see this before it's available here. You can see a bit of it HERE. It's just another example of the state of our nation at the moment.

Speaking of the mask restriction being lifted, I’m not totally okay with that. I’m good with being around people whom I know are vaccinated. I’m not good with going into a shop where you can’t identify who has been vaccinated and who has not (except for possibly those NOT wearing a mask). Fortunately, most people have continued to wear masks wherever I’ve been…..which is very few places! My guess is that it will lessen over time and I will have to decide what I’m comfortable doing.
 

This is part of our neighborhood walk,
which means we have to alter our route
when this guy is out!

On Wednesday (5/19), I had an early morning doctor’s appointment (regular physical) and early doesn’t work well for us. So, I took Rosie with me and we arrived in time for me to give her a walk before going in for my appointment. The temperature was perfect and she loved sniffing around a new place. I left her in the car while I went in for my appointment, which took longer than expected. I went to the passenger side of the car and my heart sank when she was not on her bed!! She had moved over and was lying on my seat! Whew! I took her for another walk and she was panting a bit, which made me think she might have gotten stressed being in the car alone. Anyway, she settled down as we walked. As for my physical, all went well and I was surprised to learn that I’ve lost a few pounds since last time! I’ve got plenty more I can lose!

My condolences to Rhonda and Bryan who had to have their sweet kitty Olivia put to sleep this past week. She had a good and long life (17 years old), but that doesn't lessen the sadness of losing her. I know she will be missed.

Beautiful Weather and Fun Things to Do!

Thanks to Rhonda T who responded to the question in my last post. I received the message but it was “anonymous”. So, I narrowed it down to three likely suspects. After checking with Rhonda, my suspicions were confirmed! So, check out the comment from my last post for some great reading recommendations. And, by all means, please comment on a post whenever the mood strikes. but be sure to sign your comment in case it comes through as anonymous. I love hearing from you.

Pam also recognized my malaise in my last post and sent via email an article from the NY Times on There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing. I saw the article but didn’t read it until Pam sent it. As she mentioned, the comments (hundreds!) were as informative as the article and I could identify with so many of them. Also, many friends and neighbors talk about their difficulty in focusing on anything for very long or accomplishing as much as we wanted with all of the time we have had at home. Since then, the writer has been interviewed and the article referenced on many programs, websites, etc. My view is that between the trump abuse, the pandemic, the attack on January 6, we have seen the underbelly of our nation and once you have seen it, you can’t unsee it!! It is a major shock to all we hold dear and will take a while to process it all. For me, that creates a lot of sadness for our country. I now realize that I grew up believing the best ideals of our country; so now, in my old age, it’s sad to see the direction we have taken. I liked us better when we knew right from wrong and when we made an effort to do the right thing. I am impressed and heartened by everything President Biden is doing but it will take a while to undo the damage if it is even possible. Perhaps I’d be more positive if I were younger, but I hate the thought of leaving this planet and knowing the hostility and hatred that exists in a country I love. Stepping off the soapbox!

 

Even though most people here are continuing to observe appropriate health protocols, there is the feeling that things are beginning to slowly return to normal. Rhonda C came over one Saturday night and we had dinner and a good catch-up. We were together at the Hilton Head Drinking Liberally gathering but didn’t have a chance to really chat. It was good to see her and I really enjoyed it.

 

It really began to feel like old times when Chris and I carpooled on two consecutive days. For the first time in a year, we met at our old meet-up spot and traveled to an event of interest. In the first case, it was a tour of Mitchellville Freedom Park, which was the first black self-governed town in the country. I’d been to many activities and programs there but did not know the history. In addition to the director, there was a young archaeologist on site who gave us a great rundown of the findings and plans for the future. The tour was sponsored by Liberal Ladies and it took place on a beautiful day. It was good to be with the group (outside and masked) and feel that things were getting back to normal.

The next day (4/30/2021), our Pan Pal group met at the Marriot on the island. Lynn and Tom had booked their timeshare for the week in hopes their son and his family would be able to come down and use it. When that was not viable, they decided to have a stay-cation themselves. So, on Friday they hosted us, and we went early enough to have a nice walk on the beach. It, too, was a lovely change of pace.

 

Then, on Sunday, Rosie and I took a walk on Dolphin Head with Tippy. It was a lovely morning and not many people around, so Rosie got to run free on the beach. It is always a sight to behold! She loves it. After our walk, we picked up a sandwich and had lunch in Farmer Tippy’s backyard and garden. I totally lost track of the time and didn’t get home until 2 PM! It was a totally relaxing day and Tippy sent us home with lettuce, kale, chard, etc.

 

 

Somewhere in the midst of all that, Drinking Liberally has resumed meeting in restaurants again. In this case, we met a Tio's for Taco Tuesday. Juan, the former owner of our old haunt Las Palmas, and his wife and daughter joined us. It was great to see them and have our old gang back together again.

Other than that, it's just been a matter of enjoying the beautiful spring weather. The last two nights have been chilly but I think of it as a  moderating factor that is keeping the weather mile and fending off summer. I hope it lasts a long time!

I have a new question for you! As we return to "normal" again, what have you done differently through the pandemic that you plan to continue? 

In my case, I plan to be more selective in how I spend my time and avoid getting on a treadmill of busyness. Secondly, I've done less and less with my hair. I've always hated dealing with it and being less social has given me a chance to get used to the shaggy look. 

What about you?