Where Has the Time Gone?

While life often seems dull and boring, time still flies by at a record pace....whether you're having fun or not! I just returned from a few days away with a raging cold. I've awakened the last two mornings feeling sweaty and clammy, with chest congestion and no energy. Yesterday, I did nothing! It was dark and rainy most of the day, so I showered and kept my house robe on all day. Between rain showers, I put Rosie out in the backyard, with no attempt to walk her. I made up for that this morning! I feel a little bit better today and my only goal is to finish this, finish unpacking, and walk Rosie again!

Sadly, part of my time last month was spent helping this lovely couple, my neighbors Dave and Debby. On February 12, I received a call from Dave who was in the local hospital Emergency Room, expecting to be admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, blood in his lungs, and heart problems. He asked if I'd check on Debby and bring her to visit him. Debby suffers from dementia, and I had difficulty thinking of her even being home alone. Anyway, I took her to visit Dave daily, helped with grocery shopping, and things like that. It was a big learning curve for me! She had her shopping list but had no idea where to find items in the store. When we got to the checkout, she grabbed her items and said she'd check out with such authority that I thought nothing of it. So, I took my few items to the next kiosk. I looked over, and she was trying to put her credit card in the machine without having scanned anything!! Anyway, that made me more concerned about her being home alone! That Thursday, I received a call from Dave saying he was going to be released, and would I pick him up. I found it difficult to believe that he was able to go home, but I picked up Debby and his oxygen tank, and we headed to the hospital. He asked if we could stop at Walgreens on the way home to pick up his meds, which was no problem, but we got there and Walgreens could not fill the prescriptions due to insurance issues. So Dave, on oxygen and hardly able to stand up, had to go home, make phone calls, and straighten it out. Around 4 PM, he called and said the scripts should be ready, so I picked them up. I wasn't available on Friday and didn't touch base with them until Saturday when I learned that Dave had called 911 and was on his way back to the hospital. His son and Debby's daughter arrived that weekend. This past Wednesday, I received a call from Dave's son saying that Dave had passed away! He did not want a memorial service, and Debby went home with her daughter. They expect to be back down within the next few months and hope to get together with neighbors. They were such a lovely couple with such a sudden and sad ending. I will miss them both.

It's been a rough month for my little girl, too. By the middle of the month, she'd had four episodes with her back. She was prescribed a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory, which did the trick. She has a degenerative spine disease, which is common in dogs with longer spines. She's done so well for so long, and I hate to see this happening on a more regular basis.

On March 2nd, I attended the Beaufort County Democratic Convention. I hadn't really intended to do so, but I received a text from Deborah saying that she and Amy were going. Before COVID, we got together monthly and it had been such a long time since I'd seen them both; so, I signed up to go. No sooner had I done so than I received an email from Kathleen, our county chairperson, asking if I'd serve on the Executive Committee for the new precinct Belfair 2! No good deed goes unpunished! So now I have a monthly meeting, with every other one being held in some far-flung part of the county. While I have backed away from many groups, feeling that we were preaching to the choir, I hope this will be more productive. Anyway, Deborah, Amy, and I got together for lunch and a good catchup at Ruan Thai.

Robin and Me. Terry and Melodie

Needless to say, food is a constant theme. I'm going to ask Persis Indian Grill if I can get a commission on the friends I bring to their restaurant!! It's so good to have a great Indian restaurant within driving distance! Anyway, here I am with Sun City friends, but have also introduced Tippy and Chris to Persis, and Maria, Mark, and I are on a regular schedule! These ladies are a lot of fun. Two of them were Navy nurses, have moved around a lot, and have interesting stories. Have also had brunch with Tippy at First Watch and lunch at the new Benny's Coastal Kitchen with neighborhood ladies......all good food and good company!

The only other thing different I did recently was to have a day at the Oglethorpe Mall (Macy's primarily) in Savannah. I'm sure I had not been there since before COVID! When I first arrived around 10:15 AM, there were so few people around, it was almost eerie. By the time I left, it had picked up a lot, but it makes me wonder if ours will be one of the Macy's closing soon!

I feel like it's been old-home week! I had a few days in the upstate (Greenville area) with my friend Sue, whom I hadn't seen since pre-COVID. We had a lovely visit and it was nice to get away. Rosie had the time with Miss Ann, and she seemed to do well. That's a major relief to me and may mean I can get away a little more often. The drive up was rainy and miserable. The full day we had together was sunny and glorious, allowing us to get out and about comfortably. The drive home was overcast, but easy driving. After reconnecting with Sue, as well as Deborah and Amy, it seems like there is something in the air to bring us together again as I was also scheduled to get together on Tuesday with Sharon and Steve from my Congregation Beth Yam days. When I worked there, Sharon would bring her lunch and dine with me once a month. When I left CBY, we continued our monthly lunch until COVID hit. Due to my cold, we have rescheduled, but it will be good to see them again. They sold their home and moved to the Cypress, so they have a completely new lifestyle since I last saw them! 

I do have a funny story that happened while I was away. We ate at a restaurant with a limited vegetarian menu. I ordered the Buddah Bowl and was asked how I'd like it, mild, medium, hot, etc, I ordered medium spicy. Shortly thereafter, the waitress came out and said the chef wanted to know if I wanted "to taste the spices or feel the spices"!! I got a kick out of that. I said I wanted to feel the spices a little! The chef actually served my dish, and I commented on his question. He did a great job - my nose and eyes were watering, but my mouth was not burning and numb. I had never had it put that way (taste or feel the spices), but it makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

A Busy Birthday Month!

Well, I hobbled through Christmas and New Year with no enthusiasm whatsoever, actually the worst feeling I've ever had through those holidays! Needless to say, I was happy to see January roll around and would have felt so even if my birthday wasn't involved. Little did I know how busy and fun the month would be!

January started off slowly with mundane things like mammograms and finding a new CPA to do my taxes, two tasks I am happy to have behind me. There were also the usual lunches out and gatherings with friends. Things began to pick up around my birthday, several of which just happened spontaneously.

On the 18th, I had dinner with a longtime friend from our early Drinking Liberally days. We hadn't gotten together in years, but Cher mentioned on Facebook that she and Eddy were so excited because they had just booked a vacation in San Diego. Having lived there for 15+ years, I commented that they would love it! We chatted back and forth and decided we should get together for a good catchup, which is what we did. It was a fun time and I hope we'll do it again. She also expressed interest in DL again, so when the weather improves to the point of our meeting outside again, I'll invite her to join us. I'll also want to hear all about the San Diego vacation.

Chris and Lynn invited me to join them for lunch at Lulu's on the 19th as a treat for my birthday. When I got there, they had assembled the whole gang! It was a wonderful surprise (for the second year in a row! I'll be very suspicious next year!) and great to see everyone at once. The food was also very good and the first time for most of us to have the occasion to try it since the restaurant recently reopened at Rose Hill. It was a very nice way to celebrate my birthday. Many thanks to Chris and Lynn.

Then, on my birthday (20th), I got together at Okan, a new restaurant with a noted chef) for brunch with friends from Sun City - Melodie, Robin, and Terry. We had originally planned to get together in December only to discover the day before that it was the same day as the Christmas parade, and the weather was to be iffy! Thankfully, Melodie followed up and got us together on the 20th without knowing it was by b'day. Even so, they discovered it on FB and came with celebratory spirits. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. Thank you, ladies, for a fun morning!

Then, Rayna stopped by with a lovely bouquet of roses and a very sweet card to top off the celebrations. I keep thinking that the big 7-7 has to be my lucky year if the remainder of the year lives up to its beginning! Keeping my fingers crossed! Many thanks to everyone who made it such a special birthday!

To add more excitement to the month, I was able to see Gov Gavin Newsom, who was in Sun City campaigning for President Biden in our First in the Nation Democratic Primary. Once I learned that it was happening, I wasted no time in contacting Pamela, who works tirelessly for Sun City Indivisible and who provided me with a gate pass. Once I arrived and found her, she had also secured front-row seats for us - me, herself, and her friend Jody (Pamela is the one in the middle in the photos of all three of us!). There were about 300 people there and it was a rousing event. Governor Newsom was a great surrogate for President Biden and will no doubt be running for President in 2028, so it was good to see him in person. As with more of these events, I ran into lots of other liberal/progressive friends, which is always exhilarating. As an aside, Gov. Newsom was introduced by SC State Senator Margie Bright Matthews, who was one of the five SC state female senators (of both parties) who were awarded the Profiles in Courage Award for defending a woman's right to abortion without government interference. Keep in mind that a body of mostly men totally disregarded the advice of their female counterparts who actually have experience in female health issues! Nor would they allow the women to exhibit their awards in the state house! How's that for male fragility!

To end the month on a very positive and happy note, Melodee visited. She arrived late afternoon on the 29th and we had a chatty evening, bouncing from topic to topic until the wee hours. The following day, we joined Tippy and Chris for lunch at Olive and Fig. Again, it was non-stop chatter, so much so that I forgot to take a photo, which I fully intended to do! From there Melodee and I went to another First in the Nation event, this time with former governor Mitch Landrieu, who is currently a Senior Advisor to the President for Infrastructure Coordination. It was very obvious that he was well-informed with facts and figures at instant recall. It was also obvious that he is a people person! He was informative, entertaining, and motivational. I'm glad we were able to go.

The following day we did a leisurely walking tour of old town Bluffton, which has changed a lot over the years. It was relaxing and gave us a chance to check out some of the newer shops. Just as the weather was changing, we headed to Chow Daddy's for a late lunch. Melodee insisted on treating for my birthday, which was unnecessary but thoughtful and delicious. We had a delightful waitress and lingered a while to enjoy it. Each day around 3 PM we returned home to give Rosie a good walk. You can imagine how she enjoyed having a captive audience!

It was great to see Melodee and I'm so glad she visited. The next morning as I was going for my coffee, I noticed a big box by my door! She had sent a goodie basket as a thank you, which was very thoughtful but not necessary, especially after treating me to lunch the day before! I'm trying to pace myself with all of the goodies, but everything looks so tasty! Melodee, thank you so much, and I hope to see you again soon.

It has truly been a busy and memorable month, and I'm so appreciative of it all. It reminds me of how fortunate I am on so many levels.

Just Another Day in the States!

It's 10 AM and I'm sitting here in the near-dark awaiting a stormy afternoon. If that isn't bleak enough, I'm listening to trump's immunity appeal to determine whether or not he will stand trial for attempting a coup on January 6, 2020! I hope to live long enough to see him get his just rewards (or die!) but I'm afraid that by that time, my body will be worn to shreds and my mind soup! Just another day in the States!

Well, they're over! I made it through Christmas and New Year's with little enthusiasm. My blah-ness was broken by two enjoyable events. Chris had Lynn, Tom, and myself over for a tasty brunch on Christmas Eve. Maria and Mark invited me for lunch on Christmas Day. Both were totally delightful and relaxed. I finally got in the mood and decided to have folks over after New Year's (Jan. 2). I made it as easy as possible, ordering a sandwich ring, as well as veggie and fruit trays from Publix. To that, I added two salads, spanatopika, and stuffed mini-peppers. It was all stuff I could make ahead and not have to rush around as guests were arriving. I was glad I did it and I think everyone enjoyed it. After that, all of the decorations came down and went back into the garage!

Kudos to my neighbors again! This lovely bundle contains a delicious rum cake, which my neighbor has given me for several years in a row! I shared it at all three holiday gatherings, but only those at the first one got to see the lovely presentation! 

Every day, I thank my lucky stars for the great neighbors I have, not just on holidays, but every day!

The holidays also marked Tippy's decision to venture out. I picked her up one day for lunch at Jane Bistro, and she was kind enough to treat me to a lovely lunch! She's still using a walker, but I helped her out at the curb and all went well. Since then, she has also started driving again, once obtaining Kieran's OK. On her first outing, we planned to meet up at - you guessed it - Olive and Fig, only to find that they are closed until January 22. So, we moved on to Ruan! It seemed like old times, and we really enjoyed it.

Yes, my baby had a good Christmas, too! If truth be known, every day is Christmas for Rosie, but she really lucked out over this holiday. Lynn and Tom give her one of her favorite types of squeaky toys. Melodee sent a lovely ornament with her name, and Maria and Mark gave her a lovely animal print sweater - in her colors, no less! Thank you, one and all, for thinking of her. Rosie loves it and you know it makes me happy, too!

I managed to do my Christmas shopping without entering a shop! I found these cute holiday wine glasses on Etsy, and they struck my fancy. I used the first initial of the name, which worked well until I got to Maria and Mark. Luckily, one M sported a red Santa hat, and the other a green one! Everyone has everything they want or need, but this is just a little something they can enjoy at Christmastime. 

Between the holidays and the cold weather, I've neglected my walking over the last two weeks. I started again yesterday when I waited until it warmed up to 54 degrees in the afternoon! We have had more nights in the mid-to-low 30s than I can remember, and our houses are not built for that.....and today certainly is not conducive to being outside! I keep trying and I think I actually miss it!

As I close, it is almost 1 PM. It has lightened up a bit, but the wind has also picked up, and we've received a tornado warning! Between showers, I've gotten Rosie out in the backyard, and I've stowed my outside furniture, so now we wait. I've heard from a friend in the Columbia area that their transformer blew and the storm hasn't even moved through yet! Needless to say, I'll be glad when it's over and I hope it's all hype!