Birds, Gators, Flowers, and Friends

 It’s been a pleasant Sunday (8/8) as I’ve started the audiobook The Promised Land by President Obama. It is beautifully written, and it is read by the President, which makes it even more enjoyable. But, it’s 29 hours of listening! As much as I’m enjoying it, I may not make it in the allotted 21 days.

It’s also been a good day for bird watching – my little blue birdhouse! I see it as I go down the hall to the bedroom and today, one of the couple was perched on top and the other was by the hole feeding one of the babies! Of course, by the time I got my camera, they were gone but the baby just had its beak peeking out, waiting for more grub!

Speaking of wildlife, Rosie and I wandered upon this fellow on our morning walk (8/14). He was at the same green we had our other close encounter. Rosie pulled me across the street and was sniffing around some bushes near where she had previously found some young armadillos, so I didn't think too much of it. Then I looked toward the green and there was the alligator sunning under the tree. We moved back to the other side of the street and he ignored us. Even so, it reminded me that we have to be vigilant!

I’ve indulged in Indian food again this week and I think this may become a fairly regular thing. Maria, my neighbor across the street (mom of the Adorable Felix!), is on her own this week as her husband is in NY. She joined me for Drinking Liberally on Tuesday and we decided to try the other Naan restaurant in Pooler (Naan Appetit, near the Savannah airport). It differed from the other one in that they served a buffet, as well as having an extensive menu, and seemed to have a steady stream of local working people and take-out orders. We decided to go for the buffet, although I was salivating for another go at the Paneer Butter Masala! I’m glad we did the buffet as it was a good sampling of their food. They had several meat dishes and then 4-5 vegetarian dishes, and 2 desserts. My plate was full and all of it was delicious. To add to that, the service in both restaurants was very pleasant and friendly.

I had just bought the sunflowers and David brought the 

little bouquet as a thank you. He didn't have to but it was nice.

A Day of Good Deeds: Monday (8/16) was our first day of school and it turned out to be a busy day for me. It was on my calendar to take my friend David to Coastal Carolina Hospital for a procedure at 10 AM and pick him up in the afternoon. My doorbell rang at 8 AM and my first thought was that I’d gotten the time wrong, but there at my door was Joann, Reyna’s middle girl, almost in tears. She said she had been up since 5 AM, straightened her long hair, dressed immaculately, and the bus had not picked her up. Reyna was at work so she walked over to my house for help. I gave her a hug and told her to take a deep breath and we would get her there on time, which we did. I got home in time to have a smoothie before taking David to the hospital. I was scheduled to pick up groceries on my way home but received a text that they were delayed until 11 AM, so I went back and picked up Rosie and picked them up at 11. Around 2 PM I was called to pick up David, who wanted to linger at my house a little until he felt steady enough to go home, He’d been here about 45 minutes when the doorbell rang. This time it was Michelle, Reyna’s 4^th grader, and Richard’s twin girls! The bus had delivered them home but the combination to the front door didn’t work and the older girls were not home yet! I texted Reyna for the correct code, all the while feeding snacks and looking at everything the twins had gotten at school. It was their first day in kindergarten and they were obviously excited. I drove them over to see if we could open the door, which we did. By the time I got back, David was asleep on my couch. Rosie and I kept a low profile until he woke up, at which time he felt like driving home. The saga doesn’t end there! The next morning we are out for our walk when we see Valeria, Reyna’s oldest daughter, walking our way. Again, her bus (shortage of drivers!) had not picked her up so we repeated the process from yesterday. Valeria doesn’t like school so she wasn’t nearly as upset as Joann but I was impressed that she made the effort to get there.

In my last post, I forgot to mention that the first week of August I heard from friends Carolyn in France and Bob in Thailand, both of whom had just gotten their first vaccine! It shows the advantages we have over other parts of the world in getting the vaccine and yet some people can’t manage to do the right thing to help others/everyone!! It’s very difficult to have sympathy for them when they get Covid and it’s sad to realize how little they care about the wellbeing of others.

This morning (8/17) was the morning I've been waiting for – awaking to a gentle, soothing rain! As much rain as we've gotten, none of it has been in the early morning, so on this morning, I dismissed both my 7 and 8 AM alarms, finally getting up around 8:20. I usually feel the need to get Rosie out early, but I know she won't go out in the rain so I seized the moment.

Update: Surprisingly, I’ve finished The Promised Land in record time and it has been a total delight. Granted, it may be too much for those who are not political wonks, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. First of all, he is a wonderful writer and has a memory for detail with vivid, almost poetic descriptions– he mentioned that he journaled in college and I wondered if he did so through his presidency. He is such a deliberate speaker when in the news that I thought it might be slow and dry, but that certainly was not the case. I especially enjoyed his description/perception of Lindsey Graham!! In any case, if you have the option to read it or listen to it. I recommend the audiobook. Then I went from the sublime to the ridiculous by listening to Greenlight, Matthew McConaughey’s autobiography. He reads it in his own inimitable style and bravado  (Alright! Alright! Alright!) and at times I was laughing out loud. To say the least, he has certainly had a colorful life!

Saudi Story: On two separate occasions (with Tippy and Kieran and again with Chris, Lynn, and Tom) I’ve bored friends with my recollection of evacuating Saudi during the first Gulf War. You’ve probably seen the huge cargo plane full of people fleeing Afghanistan, which reminded me of flying in one to get out of Saudi during the war. Our departure was not nearly as life-threatening as the Afghanis, but the experience was one I never in a million years would have expected to have. In any case, teachers were allowed to take vacation days, and some of us (Polly, Cheryl, and others whom I don’t recall at the moment) took advantage of the opportunity.  Since there were no commercial flights, our only means of leaving was to fly out on a cargo plane. Cheryl may have to refresh my memory but I remember being dropped off by Allan and Phil so we could do the paperwork before leaving. The interesting part is that we had to go where the plane was scheduled to go! Cheryl and I had hoped to get to the UK together, but as it turned out, I went to Ramstein in Germany (also in the news a lot recently), and I can’t remember where Cheryl went. I want to say someplace like Diego Garcia, but I could be very wrong (Cheryl, refresh my memory). The plane  (C-131 or C-141) was amazing, with a great hollow belly with flip-down seats along the sides of the plane. The pilots allowed us to go into the cockpit which had huge windows and you could see for miles. We arrived at Ramstein in the middle of the night and the women of the base had food and refreshments for us, which was totally unexpected but greatly appreciated. We were then taken to the airport and it was up to us to make our way from there. Cheryl and I met up at Jean’s, Allan’s sister in Manchester, UK, and had time with them, as well as with Nora, a friend of Cheryl’s. We then made our way to the States for the remainder of our leave. By the time we had to go back into kingdom, the war was almost over. 

I'm thinking of Cheryl this week as she takes her mom Ann, who passed away early in the pandemic, back to Missouri. I know it will be a difficult trip but I'm equally sure that she, Bonnie, and their brother will be lifted by reminiscences of sweet Ann by family and friends. May her memory be a blessing.

Rosie Stories and Fun with Friends

 Rosie Stories: This morning  (7/17) Rosie and I had our longest (time-wise) walk ever! We ambled along at Rosie’s sniffing pace. We ran into Lynn and Bogey as they were turning the corner for home. Rosie insisted on walking them to the door and invite herself inside. We had a nice chat with Lynn and Tom and Rosie got her usual treats and attention from Tom. We headed home and R had a good roll on the grass along the way. Kurt, one of our other neighbors had chatted with us on a previous walk and invited us to stop by to see Norma (his wife) sometime, so we went to their door, R whined twice and the door was answered. R had been good at Lynn’s but here she had the zoomies and played rambunctiously with a toy. They got a real kick out of that as they had not seen that side of her. From there, we were almost home when Debby and Dave pull over for a quick chat. Debby opened her door and R was right there to get some loving. As we made our way home, one cyclist passed us for the 3^rd time and I told her we were still trying to get home! She acknowledged that we weren’t making much progress.

One day last week, we were starting our walk when Rosie stopped and looked at the house across the street. She stood for a minute, the front door opened and Deanna and Joe came out saying, “we thought Rosie wanted us to come out!” By this time R is bounding across the street to get her full attention. Needless to say, we have a very tolerant neighborhood to spoil Rosie this way. She does love people and I can’t tell you how much joy that brings me….and them, too. I think they feel good to be greeted with such pure affection.

Fun with Friends: It's been a busy and fun few weeks with friends beginning on July 23. Tippy, Keiran, and I went over to Beaufort to catch a little bit of the Water Festival. Unlike our plans for the concert, there was a light crowd and we got to browse the vendors comfortably and safely. Then we had a leisurely lunch outside at Plums. It was a very pleasant day and Rosie forgave be because Tippy and Keiran came inside to play with her before heading home!

Then on Thursday (7/29), Tippy and I met at Olive and Fig for the F-word. Again, it was pleasant enough to eat outside and we celebrated Tippy's good news, which I'll get to later.  We followed that by going to the local Farmers' Market. I picked up some peaches for my morning smoothie, Heirloom tomatoes (longing for a good sandwich!), and fresh corn! They have all contributed great flavor to my recent meals. It was a relaxing way to spend the day!

On the following Friday, Chris and I went for lunch in Savannah. Lynn and Tom were out of town so in their absence we decided to go for Indian food and, boy, were we pleasantly surprised! It was the best Indian food I have had in a long time (maybe since years ago when in England and Ann, Martin, the Snells, and I went for Indian food!). We shared our selections and just kept swooning and commenting on the flavors. This is a major discovery, and we learned that they have two restaurants with one being near the new Costco!!  But, before coming home we took in an interesting SCAD exhibit. Titled Bejeweled, all pieces were made of "reclaimed" jewelry from flea markets, thrift shops, etc. It really was a delight to browse and especially look at the detail. It was a very satisfying day, and I can't remember the last time I was in Savannah.

I've mentioned Tippy's good news, which followed two weeks of stress and anxiety! She went for her usual checkup at MUSC, feeling fine and dandy all the way. When the x-rays came back. there was an obvious change in her throat. The doctor recommended that she return for a biopsy, which she did at the earliest possible appointment. Even though it was a few days it seemed like an eternity. This was her third scare after two surgeries and it carries added weight and concern, as you might guess. She and Keiran had to be there at 5:30 AM for the biopsy and around 7:30 or 8 AM I received a call that everything looked good once they took a look inside. They did take snippets for the biopsy, but the interior did not look as the x-ray indicated! What a relief! I know how relieved I was and I can't begin to imagine how Tippy felt! That was worth celebrating! AND, the day we met for lunch, she had been to have the blood clots in her lungs checked and they were gone! Dissolved and gone!! Now I feel that we partners-in-crime can get up to no good with impunity! 

Everything else has been pretty typical - 

• My dishwasher broke and it took about two weeks to replace it (via American Home Shield). 
• We have had a few very hot days but by and large, it remains mild....and it's August!. We've had quite a few overcast days (I've almost gotten used to them!) and gotten so much rain that we are almost as green as the UK! 
• Lynn and Tom are back and our Pandemic Pals are getting together tomorrow night for dinner at Chow Daddy's. It'll be good to catch up. We are wondering how much longer we will be able to get together in restaurants with the Delta variant on the rise. I just find it so hard to believe - and sad - that there are so many citizens who do not believe what is happening before their very eyes! I guess if they are unwilling to protect themselves and their children, we can't expect them to be willing to protect the rest of society. I really feel that they have something basic to humanity missing in their makeup. It's beyond my ability to comprehend, and I can't pretend that what I know now about some family and acquaintances doesn't influence my opinion of them. It is very sad and while Biden is a tremendous improvement, we are not out of the woods yet! 

I can't leave you on that note, so I will show you Rosie in action. David called and wanted to come over for some Rosie time and this is usually what happens!

Please tell me I don't really sound like this!!

I hope this finds each of you doing well and staying safe. Take care and love to all.