Where Has July Gone?

 7/11/22: Today is the first time I’ve tested for Covid. After coming in from our walk and as I was having breakfast, I realize I had a headache and that the area around my eyes/sinuses and even down my neck were tight and touchy. I have no idea whether this is a symptom of Covid but I just felt crummy. So, having the kits, I decided to test myself. Results are that I just feel crummy – no Covid, which is good.

Just a hawk on my roof!

It looks like we’re in for a week of overcast, rainy weather, which has reduced the temperature again. When awakened this morning it was only because my watch alarmed. Usually, by 6 AM it is so light that it’s difficult to stay in bed. This morning was dark and we got to stay in a bit longer, which was nice but am not sure I’ll like a week of the dark days. Due to the abundant rain, everything remains green and lush.

7/27/22: Well, I didn’t have Covid but my sinus issues developed into a couple of weeks of misery! It is only the last three days that I am without the sinus pressure and have hopes of getting back to normal (though still a lot of drainage that makes me feel yucky). It was only on the right side and I didn’t feel “sick” but just really yucky and uncomfortable. I was not able to blow any of the congestion out my nose so it all drained down my throat, pooling there before trickling through my system, and leaving my mouth with a disgusting taste and my stomach with a yucky feeling. Not pleasant!

It just so happened that in the midst of that I was also in great social demand (LOL!). In one week, I ate out four times with friends! My neighbor, Maria, and I went to Beaufort for lunch on July 13, stopping at Fetch on the way. Fetch is an eclectic gift shop that is run as a fund-raiser for Noah’s Arc Animal Rescue, which is the animal rescue from which I got Rosie. Eileen and I had stopped by when she was here but they were closed, so I was happy to have an opportunity to visit. Tippy and I also got together for our weekly natter (on Thursday, 7/14) and on Sunday (7/17) Rhonda and I got together for a long overdue catchup, followed by cake and wine at her place afterward. It’s always fun to get together with like-minded friends.

It was on that Saturday (7/16) that Chris and I made a day of it. We went to Ridgeland to see the opening of a new exhibit, The Supper Table, at the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage. The Supper Table was inspired by the 40^th anniversary of The Dinner Table installation by Judy Chicago and was composed of table settings signifying 12 prominent women in South Carolina’s history - Mary McCleod Bethune – Alice Childress – Septima Clark – Mathilda Evans – Althea Gibson – Angelina and Sarah Grimke – Eartha Kitt –Sarah Leverette – Julia Peterkin – Eliza Lucas Pinckney – Modjeska Monteith Simkins – Elizabeth Evelyn Wright. It was timely in that Mary Bethune's statue was just that week added to Statuary Hall in DC. We went on this day because there was a program with the woman whose idea it was to put this together. It was interesting to learn how the artists were assembled and the various aspects of the project (a play, a video production, a book, etc.). As I think about it now, I came away wanting to know more. My focus at the time was on the women represented and how the place settings represented each, to the exclusion of the artists involved. I would now like to know more about the artist that was charged with presenting each person. There were also beautiful drawings of each person and we were surprised to learn that they were done by Kirkland Smith, the wife of James Smith, a recent Democrat candidate for SC governor. We had no idea she was an artist and the Morris Center will be exhibiting some of her work in the future.

There is also a personal story to our day at the Morris Center, which is housed in a pristine, old Sinclair service/gas station. My father, who worked in a hardware store for many years, eventually bought a general store outside of town (Wadesboro, NC) that was also a Sinclair station. Those stations were noted for their white and green colors and dinosaur logo. In our case, we lived in the back of the station – a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and a porch. Eventually, my parents built a house next door to the station, which we occupied until the death of my mother. So, the building itself brought back so many memories from a time I don’t often think about. The building itself was an added attraction for me.

 Needless to say, Chris and I ended our day with a late lunch at Olive and Fig!

Not a lot else happening, though August promises to be busy. The first week we are going to Charleston for the Van Gogh exhibit. I’m really looking forward to that as I’ve heard so many good things about it. That weekend Rosie and I are joining Tippy in the NC mountains for a few days – the first time I’ve actually gotten away in two years!! I’ve been at home so much it seems a bit intimidating. At the end of the month Sandi, a friend from our second Africa trip, will be visiting for a few days. Hopefully, by the time September arrives things will begin to cool a bit.