From February to April!

Where did March go? If I am aging at the speed at which the days are going by (and I am!), I'm in real trouble!! As I try to catch up, I'm also watching trump being indicted and hoping this is the beginning of the end of him. He will never be able to compensate in any way for the damage and hate he has unleashed on our country. Nor do I have the hope that he will ever realize his destructive nature. I just hope some kind of "retribution" (as he likes to say) happens!

On a happier, more fun note, the end of March was marked by a visit from Melodee! She was on a tour to visit friends - NOLA, Mobile, Bluffton, Beaufort, Columbia, Nashville, then home to St. Louis - and I was pleased to be included in her itinerary. We had great weather, perfect for lunches outside with friends, walks on the beach and parks in Bluffton, thrift shopping, etc. - as well as solving the problems of the world over a glass of wine in the evenings. One day we met Chris for lunch at Jinya, a new, trendy ramen bar on the island. It was leisurely and fun to be together. From there we did our thrifting. The next day we met Tippy at Dockside, right on the water. This was the morning after trump was indicted, and we had not even gotten inside the restaurant when Tippy said she felt if called for a glass of wine. As we perused the menu, we debated whether or not to have one (in front of the waitress) because we were celebrating, but we declined! After we ordered, we debated it again and decided to go for it. So, we told the waitress that we had changed our minds, and she said, "What are you celebrating?" I whispered, "The indictment!" She did a quick fist pump!! That made my day, but it gets better. As we were finishing up, preparing to walk down the dock and enjoy the beautiful weather, the waitress came back to our table with her camera. She wanted to take our photo to send to her mom!! She said her mom would get a kick out of it. I don't know about her mom, but we certainly did! All in all, it was a lovely visit and I'm so glad Melodee included me and her local friends in her "grand tour."  

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On the 11th and 12th of March, Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate was finally able to present Mary Burkett and her artwork: Beloved: Children of the Holocaust and Legacy of Slavery. This was scheduled to happen just as Covid hit and has been delayed all this time. Her drawings are superb and haunting, and the stories that accompany them are heartbreaking. Chris and I went to the showing at Campbell AME Church in Bluffton (the second was at Congregation Beth Yam). It was well attended, but this is the type of thing that so many more people should see. An interesting contrast to me was that the children of the holocaust looked like normal, happy children. On the other hand, the children of slavery had lifeless eyes and deep sadness to them. It was heartbreaking. Mary could tell you the story of the Jewish children, mainly because the Germans were very meticulous bookkeepers. The stories of the children under slavery were minimal, mainly because they didn't could! She said she had to take some of them from photographs of slave owners as they were exhibiting their "property." It was such a touching history lesson right there. You can see her work and a video HERE that will express it much better than I can. I hope you'll take a look.

The week before Melodee came, I received two generous letters on the same day - one was a $495 check from the IRS which I had not expected, and the other was a letter informing me that I have $1395 in unclaimed funds in California! At first, I thought the California thing was a scam, but it did look legit in some aspects (they would pursue it for 10%). In any case, I didn't have time to deal with it until after Melodee's visit. Then, I got online, found the unclaimed funds database, and sure enough, there it was. I was able to fill out the appropriate form, which I still need to get notarized, send in the appropriate ID, and claim the funds. I thank the company for letting me know it was there. I had no idea.

One sad note about Rosie. She has had four episodes since December that I thought were related to back pain. By episodes, I mean she starts looking distressed (ears back, tail down, very little movement), then shivering, followed by panting. It was only after the last episode that I realized all of them happened when I got dressed to go out! It doesn't happen if I just dash out to the grocery store but when I change my routine, shower, get dressed, etc. to go out "formally." That doesn't happen all that often but obviously, she has picked up all the cues. Since I've figured it out, I've invested in some calming treats, as well as a calming collar with herbs. She did well when Melodee was here and we were out longer than usual. One Sunday, when I had a play in the afternoon and a birthday party in the evening (and she was panting whenever I was home!), Maria and Mark were kind enough to let her come over and spend the time with Felix and Henry. In any case, I hope I'm able to come to a good solution for this without having to see the vet and medicate her. Believe me, it puts us both under stress when something like that is happening!

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I was going to leave you with some random photos, but I'm running out of time. So, I'll leave you with a little encounter I had this morning when I went for my walk at the church. I noticed a young man who walks a beautiful dog that looks like a setter of some kind. The last time they were there, I saw the dog come across a big stick that he clearly wanted. He looked up at the guy, got the nod, and merrily took off with the stick.  This morning as we approached each other, I picked up a big stick and waved it in the air. The doggie caught on immediately and headed my way. I told the guy what I’d seen a few days ago, and he confirmed that his doggie really liked his sticks. I enjoyed seeing him play with it as they walked away. It made me think of our lives as Venn diagrams. When we do something different in our lives, our little circle overlaps someone else, and theirs overlaps ours. Since walking in that spot, I’ve had this neat experience today. I’ve also met the guy (probably a church member) who comes and picks up stray sticks and limbs that continuously fall from the trees. I’ve run into some Jewish friends I know from my CBY days who use the church for their services from time to time. Then there’s the lady who works across the street and brings her dog over for break time, and the jogger who uses it as I do. It’s a whole little world that I knew nothing about until I started walking there! That experience made me realize how important it is to get out of our bubble and "overlap” with others – how enriching it is, and how much we learn. Saudi friends can surely vouch for what a wonderful, broadening experience that move was, and how much it opened to us. I also think of those who rarely if ever change their routine/life and how much they are missing (and why they have difficulty understanding anything outside of their bubble). I could go on but I'll spare you. I’ll just say it was a good walk!!

Take care!

PS: Just got back from walking Rosie and while we were out, a neighbor pulled over to say that a small alligator was crossing the street ahead! Considering we have also seen our first snake of the season, I'm going to have to watch where Rosie sticks her nose! Life in the Lowcountry!