Friends in Need

David gave me this cute popup bouquet!

9/16/22: Today has been a day of helping friends, which I am happy to do. In this case, both were medical issues and it made me very appreciative of good health. At 11 AM, I sprang David from a rehab center that he was anxious to leave – in my opinion maybe too anxious for his own well-being. I wondered if he had thought it through and whether it was going to be as easy to look after himself as he thought. He wouldn’t hear of my objections so I picked him up and took him to his place. This all came about when about 10 days ago he went in for what he thought would be laparoscopic hernia surgery; however, it turned into real, full surgery. So he went from thinking he would be in hospital for two nights before going home to spending almost a week in hospital before going to a rehab center. You can imagine that I was very thankful NOT to be in his situation.

Then I had just gotten in from Rosie’s walk around 3PM when Chris called. Chris and I are texters, so when I received a call I knew something was up. She was on a ladder trimming shrubbery and took a fall that hurt her shoulder. When she called me, she was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance!! She sounded calm and her concern was for Ivana, her timeshare cat. Ivana spends her days with Chris and her evening with a neighbor, living the life of Riley!! I guess with the unusual activity of an ambulance, etc., Chris was unable to coax her outside before leaving for the hospital. So, I went over to see if I could get her outside. She has responded to me well in the past, but when I first went in, she was nowhere to be seen. I then opened the door to the porch and in a few seconds, she appeared at the bedroom door. She wouldn’t come to my call so I just went onto the porch and sat down to wait. Pretty soon she appeared. Well, the ladder that Chris fell from was still in the backyard and she immediately knew that it was something she wasn’t used to. She nestled down low and carefully surveyed the yard. She did not like that ladder! I went outside and moved it out of the way, but by that time the next-door neighbor started mowing his yard! I just propped the door open and gave her time to move forward slowly and eventually, she headed toward her second home as only a cat can – down low and moving stealthily. I have to say that the ladder gave me a start as well. If Chris was near the top, she had a big fall! At this point, I’m back home and waiting to hear from Chris in case she needs a ride home from the hospital. I hope she won’t have to stay overnight and that it isn’t anything seriously wrong. I also know she wants to be home tomorrow morning when Ivana shows up again!

All of this serves to remind me of how fortunate I am to have good health (and no serious accidents). In that vein, I’ve convinced myself that I can walk 30 minutes a day 5 days a week! To most of you, that sounds like a dottle but for me, it’s a big thing. I’ve always been amazed at my UK friends who seem compelled to exercise! It never crosses my mind and is totally alien to my nature! The other thing, which I will shamefully confess, is that I can’t walk out the front door for a walk and leave Rosie looking out the window after me! So, I drive to Lowcountry Presbyterian Church and walk in their large, shaded parking lot. If I drive away, Rosie won’t be looking out the window the entire time I’m gone. So far, I’ve walked all but 2 days this month and it isn’t so bad. I’ve even done it right after walking Rosie and having breakfast, which really isn’t like me – but, it seems to be working and I hope I can keep it up. It’s also interesting to learn that there are others using the church parking lot as I am – a couple who walks their little doggie, a jogger, another walker, etc.

9/27/22:

Chris before her accident!

It continues to be a busy time with friends. Lynn and I have rotated trying to keep an eye on Chris and see that she has what she needs. She was in the hospital for about 3 days or so. Since the accident happened on a Friday, not much happened over the weekend except for necessary tests. She has broken her arm and has extensive soft tissue damage, being unable to put any weight on her left leg (and her right leg!). Early in the week, she was transferred to a nursing facility where it all fell apart! The care was rough. Therapy and treatment came together very slowly. Even getting a shower was difficult, and when she did get one, she was left in the shower for about 20 minutes! The request for a vegetarian menu seemed totally alien to them and consisted of whatever was on the regular menu without the meat – one day when I was there, that was a scoop of mashed potatoes and a spoonful of corn! The next day I took her some of my meager, homemade soup and we have plans to Thai-one-on tomorrow! Finally, yesterday she met with the physical therapist, the occupational therapist, and the doctor. She is supposed to get PT and OT five days a week, which will be a major improvement. To add insult to injury (literally) she has been told by various staff to “suck it up” and they “don’t have time for that S*!t”!!  Absolutely amazing….and frightening!

Photo from Tippy's first surgery!

In the midst of that, Tippy had her second shoulder replacement surgery. I didn’t see her until Sunday when I picked up our favorite dishes from First Watch and took them over for breakfast. I knew Kieran would take good care of her and she was in good spirits. Unfortunately, she reported much the same experience in the hospital as Chris had at the nursing home! All of that is frightening for folks our age. In any case, she is doing well, which is a relief.

From a previous visit.

I did devote one day to the Queen’s funeral, which was impressive.No one does pomp and
ceremony better! I held up well until the piper was on the balcony and then turned and walked into the distance!!   I felt I was experiencing something historic and that we were losing a stabilizing force in this unstable time. 

I also had my mammogram and a bone density test, and for fun, Rhonda C came over for pizza on Friday. We always tackle the major problems of the day – if only anyone would listen to us! AND, I’ve walked all but 6 days this month, which is amazing for me! I’m even beginning to enjoy it.

 

I owe Rhonda T and Bryan an apology. Rhonda sent an email asking friends to bomb Bryan’s mailbox on his special birthday. Upon receiving the request, Rosie and I took some selfies with the intention of making it into a birthday card. Needless to say, I did not have time. So, Bryan, we wish you a belated and heartfelt Happy Birthday! I hope you celebrated well!💖

 

The only other thing to report is that the mornings have gotten cooler and even Rosie has picked up her pace. It really is pleasant to have the heat of summer behind us. I ordered these little “votingbluerocks” to distribute in strategic places as we do our walks. If you live in a red state like SC, almost any place you leave them is a strategic location! I just thought it was a clever idea...and they're free. They also send instructions for making your own.

9/29/22: Yesterday and today have been devoted to hurricane Ian preparation. We have been told (until just recently!) that it would be a tropical storm by the time it reaches us. Just now I have heard that it may be a Hurricane I! Basically, it's too late to evacuate, so it will be what it will be. It was already cool and gusty this morning when I walked Rosie, to the point of some gusts scaring her. It hasn't started raining yet so we may be able to do our afternoon walk, too. Tomorrow we may be hunkered down for much of the day. I have Apple Coconut Oatmeal in the crock pot and the house smells great, so we are as ready as we can be. I am eager to hear from Florida friends - Cheryl and Phil, Kathy, Nancy, Jim and Anthony - and hoping they got through it safely and without much damage. Here's hoping for the best!

I did have one nice thing happen yesterday when a new neighbor and her husband stopped by to ask if I need help with anything - putting outside furniture away, etc. That was very thoughtful and made my day. 

Take care, Everyone.

Stay safe and well!

Sandi's Visit and More

 8/29/22: It’s a dark rainy morning/day so a good time to catch up on blog news. As you view the photos in this entry, no doubt you will notice the overcast sky! It has been this way much of the summer.

 I barely posted the last entry before Sandi arrived. Tippy and I met Sandi on our second Africa trip and have been in contact since. She lives in Decatur, GA which makes getting together easier. She stayed with Tippy for two nights and with me two, and you can imagine who was thrilled to have two friends around the house – Rosie! She was in her element!

 We showed Sandi the usual things that visitors see when here – a rainy day in downtown Beaufort, the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, Palmetto Bluff (which even Tippy had not seen), some of downtown Bluffton, Mitchellville, etc. Our day in Beaufort was accompanied by torrential rain much of the time. It didn’t really prevent us from doing what we wanted, but it always seemed the heaviest when we were driving. And of course, we enjoyed many meals together - and great memories from our trip together! When we asked Sandi what she wanted to do while she was here, she said she wanted to go to “that Fig place” – Olive and Fig, one of our favorite restaurants, as you know! So, that was on the agenda, as was Ruan Thai, First Watch, and others. We enjoyed them all.

 Both Tippy and I had some appointments we had to work in, with mine being a Meet and Greet with our candidate for governor, Joe Cunningham. If you’ve followed the blog for any length of time, you know that Joe is well known to us, but we were introduced to his running mate for Lt. Governor. Tally Casey. I think he may have selected a Lt. Governor who is more capable than he!! She was a fighter pilot with several tours of duty in Iraq, as well as having a 20-year law career. Sandi was gracious enough to tag along for that. I felt compelled to go since I’m the one who sends out political information to the Democrats in the Crescent (at least those we have identified). I was also curious to see if anyone from our community showed up! One couple – one couple showed up!! I don’t doubt that they will all vote, etc. but the participation level is disappointing. So, when I sent out the next update, I included (at the very bottom, in small print) the following quote: "It's not enough for your heart to be in the right place. Your ass has to be there too. [...] there is no substitute for being there, at the heart of the action. And to get there, you have to leave 'here.'"

                                                                                                                                 -Steven Pressfield

I doubt that anyone even saw it but it did make me feel better!

 After a very pleasant visit, Sandi left on Thursday (8/25/22). She and I went for an early breakfast at First Watch. She also wanted to meet my neighbors and their dogs, so while we were at breakfast I texted Mark and asked if Felix and Henry could come out to play, not realizing that it had started to rain. I didn’t hear anything from them but a few minutes after we got home, they braved the rain and came over. It was Henry’s first visit and all went well. Felix enjoys the rug and his two favorite toys from Rosie’s stash so much that I was afraid there would be some friction. But, there wasn’t. It was a pleasant visit before Sandi got on the road around 10AM. The end of a very nice visit.

Sandi arrived with a lovely bouquet of flowers, one for Tippy and one for me. I really enjoyed them and they lasted for such a long time. I kept weeding out the wilting branches and they really held up well.

That afternoon I took Rosie to the park for her afternoon walk, when I received a text from
new friends in the neighborhood, Melodie and John. I met them through their friend Robin who is on the Lowcountry Coalition Again Hate with me. They were all getting together at our clubhouse for drinks and dinner and invited me to join them. It was a great opportunity to get to know them all better and was lots of fun. We found we have a lot in common – politics, doggies (yes, we showed photos!), international experiences AND Melodie and John are taking a trip to South Africa in September. I can guarantee we will have lots to talk about after that! I can’t wait to hear all about it. Actually, a few days after that, Melodie sent me a lovely
book The Wilderness Family – at Home With Africa’s Wildlife by Kobie Kruger. I’ve just started it and it’s magical. Thank you, Melodie!

 8/29/22: Well, it has been dark and rainy all day, so much so that Rosie has given up and gone back to bed – not once but twice! And I don’t mean her bed. I mean she has gone back to the bedroom and crawled under the cover! I know how she feels.

9/11/22: Politically. things are warming up in anticipation of the mid-term elections. I ventured to our Democratic Party Bluffton office to hear Dr. Annie Andrews, who is running for our US House seat against Nancy Macy. She is a very strong candidate, but this is South Carolina! I'm hoping women will get out in force to vote against the hard-right masochistic state regime. Melodie and I also attended our precinct meeting to see how we can help get folks out to vote. Our focus is going to be on Democrat voters who do not usually vote in mid-term elections. If we can bring out a significant number of them, it might make a difference.

On a more social front, Chris and I made a long-awaited trip to Savannah for Indian food. We were not disappointed! Liberal Ladies also had a luncheon which was not as well attended as usual. The feeling was that people have just gotten worn down by the events of the last few years, which makes me wonder if things will ever get back to "normal" - whatever that is!

Well, the passing of Queen Elizabeth is another blow to our perception of the world as we know it! She has truly been a constant in our lives for decades - all but 5 years of my life! Regardless of how one feels about the monarch, the empire....or her personal ups and down, I always felt that she tried to set the right tone, a positive, hopeful tone. After the upheaval and divisiveness of the last few years here, I can certainly appreciate the benefit of a figurehead above the fray of politics who can call us to be our best selves. We could certainly use someone like that right now. I also think of all she experienced in her lifetime (and always the best of the best!) and the people she met. What a life! I actually saw her and Prince Philip when they came to San Diego in 1983. At that time, the only British person I knew was a pen pal I had when I was in grade school. Little did I know that within a year I would take a job abroad and meet many British folks, some of whom became lifelong friends! They sailed into port on the Britannia to a warm welcome. The following day they went to church at an Episcopal church downtown, where my roommate and I were among the crowd. We got a wave and it was exciting to actually see them in person, as well as the Britannia! Here's an article recounting their visit, as well as a current news clip. She certainly had a long, rich life and King Charles III will have big shoes to fill. Her calming presence will be missed.

And, of course, today is the 21st anniversary of 9/11, as well as my father's birthday. It's almost emotional overload. It's hard to believe that 9/11 happened 21 years ago and even harder to believe that my father has been gone 37 years. I see more of him in myself with each passing year and I'm thankful that he passed along his sense of humor! Over the years it has come in handy!