Summer Is Here!

Yes, summer is almost upon us, but I have to say we've had a wonderful June. Here, we are at the end of it, and I don't think we've been in the 90s yet (though 97 is projected for later in the week! That's how fast it arrives!)! We've had some warm days in the high 80s, but frequently with a breeze and a slightly overcast sky. Not heavy enough to be dark and depressing, just enough to deflect the harsh rays of the sun. Overall, for June, it has been very mild and balmy. We've appreciated every day of it!

The month began with a visit from Rhonda. She had planned to come on one of the weekends that turned out to be either snowy or icy, so we had to postpone. It then hit me that a good time to come would be for one of our monthly "Fine Dining" events. So, she came for a few days the first week of the month. This was the first time it was held outside on the patio, and it was a bit warm, but we didn't let that stop us. This time, the Chef had an outstanding charcuterie table. I could have made a whole meal off of it! He always does a vegetarian dish for me, and I think Rhonda had bass (and I forgot what the other meat option was since I don't eat it and never even look). Everything was farm-to-table and locally sourced, including the wine. It's always a nice treat, and everything is so nicely prepared and presented. I hope Rhonda enjoyed it. 

We had a very nice catch-up, and Rhonda is always ready to talk politics. She let me vent as much as I wanted.....and we covered a lot!! 

The next day, we were off to Newberry, which is a lovely little town. They've done a wonderful job of maintaining the buildings and making the Opera House a major attraction. It's also more of an artsy, hippie-ish town than I realized. We started at the Opera House and took a few photos outside, never even thinking it would be open. It was only after strolling the main street that we were told it was open and contained works by local artists. Before we left town, we circled back and went inside. They've done a great job of restoring it and offering entertainment to the wider community. 

Somehow, I learned of a Japanese Garden in Newberry, so we looked for it. The Wells Japanese Garden is a small delight in an ordinary neighborhood. It's lush and shaded, with the sound of a pond/stream. I really enjoyed it and would visit again. While we were there, we were told of the Newberry Arts Center, which we didn't have time to see. Since getting back, I've also learned of an orchid farm. So there's more to Newberry than originally meets the eye, and it definitely warrants more investigation.

After we returned from Newberry, we were visited by the CPC chaplain, Pastor Debby. In our conversation, she happened to mention that Greenwood was having its Festival of Flowers. I had heard about it, but had no idea when it happened. Rhonda has a green thumb and loves plants, and she would have loved it. Anyway, the following weekend Rosie and I rode over to see what we could see. They have large topiaries, which are beautifully done. I saw only a few of them in one particular area, and there were many more. I asked Rhonda to put it on her calendar for next year, and we can check it out.

Life moves quickly! Since my last post, I'm sad to report the passing of our friend, Tom. Lynn and Tom, along with Chris and me, made up the Pandemic Pals. All through COVID and after, we dined every Friday at one house or the other. It was practically the only socializing we did through the pandemic, and we continued it long after. Tom was brave and patient to put up with three opinionated women, but he always had a wry, witty response! He will be missed, and I send my love and condolences to Lynn.

Then, just like that, about a month ago, Tippy and Kieran announced they are moving from HHI to Alpharetta, Ga......and the move will take place on July 7! No messing around for them! I was hoping Alpharetta was closer, but it's still about a three-hour drive, so no luck there. Even though I'm still adjusting to the news, I wish them all the best. I think the move will give them a new lease on life.

This week has been difficult for Rosie. She seemed to be almost herself again after 3 visits to the vet and multiple medications. Then, this past week, she had low energy, wasn't eating much (only when coaxed), would wake me early to go out, and then only wanted to eat grass! So, it was back to the vet and more meds. I haven't seen much improvement yet, but she is eating (after an appetite stimulant), which means I can get her meds into her! I'm hoping to see improvement soon. Thanks to Mary and Jim for the thoughtful messages this week. You didn't know I needed them, which makes them even more appreciated. 

I will leave you with a sweet Rosie story. One day last week, we were on our morning walk, and Rosie was sniffing cars as she likes to do in the parking lot. A young lady drove up and parked, got out of the car, and was walking to another car when she stopped and said, "That wouldn't be Rosie, would it?" You can imagine my shock at hearing that from someone I'd never seen before! She turned out to be the wife of one of our maintenance men! He has a dog and told his family about Rosie, who often visits them if they're still in their office when we take out our morning walk. She has been known to stand outside their door and whine until invited in, and they all pet her when passing anywhere in the building. She really is a lucky little doggie, and that encounter made my day!💖

Sending love to all. 

My Baby Girl Has Not Been Well!

It has been a busy month (which has flown by!), but my main concern has been Rosie. I took her to the Vet about 2 weeks ago for the second time with very generalized symptoms - labored breathing, low energy, not wanting to go into the building (where all of her favorite people are!), hiding out in the bathroom, etc. Nothing specific, just things a pet mom would notice. Her previous bloodwork was fine, but the Vet took blood again to test for lymphoma. Thankfully, the lymphoma test came back negative. She also did another X-ray of her heart. She has a slightly enlarged heart and a heart murmur graded at 4/6. It also showed the bronchioles in the lungs, indicating inflammation in the lower airways. We left the office with 4 medications, not including the 2 she already takes. She is difficult to medicate, and I had no idea that I would get all of that into her, to say nothing of keeping it all straight! Thus, the spreadsheet! That's the only way I could keep it all straight! I'm pleased and shocked to say that she took it all, probably due to the steroid!! Anyway, she will finish the last bit of steroids over the weekend. We had a follow-up visit on Wednesday, just when she was beginning to act like she felt a tad better. After reviewing everything, the Vet felt the major issue was back and neck pain. She gave me a medication for arthritis, which I'm to begin 2 days after the last dose of the steroid. I'm hoping and praying that it does the trick. I'm not 100% satisfied with the labored breathing, but that's difficult to judge now that it's warmed up. I'm hoping I can get that girl feeling better. She's 13+, and something like this is very frightening to me, and I've had my share of weepy days! Like me, she's at the age that anything can happen, but that's still difficult to accept. She's such a sweet girl and deserves to feel better. Please keep us in your thoughts.💕

I may have mentioned this before, but every month we have a "fine dining" evening. Rather than the dining room, it's held in the Bistro, which our Executive Director decorates to the nines. It really is a nice evening, and the food is beautifully prepared and presented. It's always a nice evening. Our next one is June 4th, and I've invited a guest.

One morning, we were offered a tour of Lush Acres Farm, which is part of Thornwell Charter School. I've been meaning to take photos of the school as the campus is lovely. You can check it out HERE. Before being a charter school, it was an orphanage dating back to the post-Civil War period, which you can see HERE. We were just touring the farm associated with the school. It was a lovely morning and nice to be out and about - to see geese, highland cows, pigs, alpacas, and especially the cute baby goats!! There were about 6 newborns, and they were just adorable. You can see there was one that was just adorable and wanted to be social. So sweet! We also picked up gallons of strawberries that were to be used for our monthly birthday celebration the next day.

On the 20th, we had an all-day outing to Flat Rock, NC, to see Kate Hamill's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice at the Flat Rock Playhouse. I'd never been to Flat Rock and found it charming, and the playhouse area was very picturesque. We had lunch at Cracker Barrel (first time in years!), and relaxed in the rocking chairs before heading to the play. Everyone there was very welcoming and helpful. I went to take a photo of the statue, and a lady in black told me that the artist did it in one day, with a chainsaw, barefooted! I could almost picture it in my mind's eye!! The play was very cleverly done, and I enjoyed the whole day. Had I not already bought the ticket, I probably would not have gone with Rosie being ill. The cleaning ladies assured me they would stop in and take care of her, so I didn't feel too bad, and I am glad I went. We were also given the option to go up again in July to see Footloose, which is the one I really would have loved to see, but not enough people signed up for it.

You know me, I had to see Annie Andrews when she was in town. I saw her several times when she was running against Mace, and she has really come into her own. I told her that and thanked her for running against Graham! I'm hoping she wins the primary, and I feel sure she'll cover a lot of territory between then and the November election.🤞

In that same vein, as I'm researching for the midterms, I printed out my sample ballot. I happened to think the ladies at my lunchtime table might like a copy (as well as Peter, a former PC professor, the first liberal I met here, because he had a "Resist" bumper sticker on his car!). So, I distributed them, and they were so pleased. Then they started asking me for whom I was going to vote. I then went home and wrote up the info I had on those I would vote for - as well as the suggestion that if two unknowns were running for an office and one was a woman, vote for the woman!! We need more women in politics. I printed that on the right side of the sample ballot, and handed them out again! I wasn't qualified to tell people how to vote, but I was happy to provide the information. I've been fairly stunned by how uninformed many are leading up to the elections, and I wonder how you go in and vote without knowing anything about the candidates! Scary and sad! I think that's gotten us where we are today. Anyway, if you're wondering how to generate interest, sample ballots may be a start! Two days this week, the community has taken residents over for early voting, and I went on the first day of voting! It's nice that they do that for us.

I'll close with just a few glimmers from the past few weeks. We've had lots of rain lately, and a tiny snail, about the size of the end of my little finger, took up on the outside of my storm window. He was so tiny, but he could move around, and once in a while, he would tuck inside his little shell. By the end of the day, he was gone, but I loved watching him. We also have a couple of blueberry plants around the building, and I'm enjoying watching them mature. The hydrangeas are right outside my bathroom window, and I've been watching each head fill in over time. This is the first time I've been close enough to observe the process. 

I hope this finds you doing well and living life at a comfortable pace. Let me know what you've been up to. Hugs!💖

It's Been Busy!

I'm long overdue for updating the blog because it has been busy! The Presbyterian Communities Olympics were held on April 17th, and the month leading up to it was filled with practicing our events, pep rallies (not my thing!), send-off festivities, and anything you could think of related to a sporting event! I entered (was talked into) the women's speed walking, and Jimmy C entered the men's event. So, one to three times a week, we walked it, hoping to improve our time. 

On the day of the event, all 6 communities were represented. The smallest three, including Clinton, competed against each other, while the larger three competed in their division. We all got together in the chapel of the Columbia campus for a pep rally (still not my thing, but it was fun). Following the rally, we went off to our events. With the speed walking, I was the first on up....of all competitors! It didn't give me time to fret about it. I was up and off, followed by Jimmy. As soon as we finished, we were off to watch the other events, not knowing how we did. As it turned out, we both won in our division! Jimmy had the overall (of both divisions) best time (2.58 minutes), and my time (3.06) tied the winner of the ladies' larger communities division. I was totally surprised...and pleased that it was over! The Clinton Community tied with Columbia for the most wins, which had not happened before. So they will keep the trophy until October, when there will be some kind of event to pass it over to us for the remainder of the year. We were pleased for Jennifer, our Life Enrichment Coordinator, who had not had a showing like that before. All in all, it was a good day. Next year, I'm going to angle for something like cornhole!!

Before the Olympics, Anna (my lunchtime dining mate and friend), Betty (a fellow UNC-G graduate), and I met Pamela for dinner at Break on the Lake on Lake Greenwood. Pamela was the marketing person here when I visited, and she was SO helpful in making the timing work, which is no small thing. Unfortunately, she had been battling cancer for over a year and was let go. It was great to see her and catch up. She looked great, as she always did. Her hair had fallen out and grown back curly, which looked fabulous! It was a gab-fest, and we all enjoyed it. 

I also attended the No Kings protest. Previously, I had to find one nearby to attend, but this time, Laurens had their own. It reminded me of the old days in Bluffton, when only a few people would show up. Now, hundreds participate, and I miss that energy. My hope is that the same thing will happen here. About 75 people showed up, which surprised everyone. It was a good group, and the response was positive (with only the occasional A-hole).  Chris sent the photo of Mark, Maria, and their signs. It made me feel I was with Bluffton in spirit, knowing that my friends were representing well!

I'm going to resist a political rant, but I will tell you what I've been doing. I've regularly faxed Graham, Scott, and Biggs (our version of Mace, only possibly worse). I know it produces nothing, but to remain silent is to grant approval. With the SC abortion issue, I've added my state reps to my list. They are truly disgusting. I never thought I'd agree with Tom Davis on anything, or he with me, but he is showing sense and strength on this issue. Be proud, Beaufort County! I have found a lot of folks in this community who are liberal, but I've also been surprised and alarmed at those who are watching it all happen with no interest in doing anything. So, I made a contact sheet of our reps and passed it out to all the ladies at my dining table. At least one of them called Graham. It wasn't much, but it was better than doing nothing. I also attended the county Democratic meeting on Saturday, which included a candidate forum, and my tablemates (the ladies, not the male trumper) were interested in hearing about it. I was thrilled to learn that Annie Andrews will be here sometime in May. I'll offer rides to anyone who would like to attend with me. I'm doing what I can, but it's not enough.

These are just some photos of our happy hour group. Every Friday, we have a happy hour in the cafe. They've been doing some work in there, so Josh, our dining room coordinator, decided to have it outside. Things were just beginning to green or bloom, and the weather was perfect. I think we all enjoyed it. In one of the photos, you can see my little cottage (with the red car under the carport), so you can see how close I am to the main building. 

I'll tell you a funny southern story that happened to me at Food Lion. I walked into the store, and in the corner of my eye, I saw a women whom I thought lived at the Clinton. At that time, she waved to me, and I turned to face her....then we both realized that we didn't know each other!! She said, "I don't really know you!" I explained that I thought she was a friend from the Presbyterian Community, etc. Well, we stood there and talked for 10 minutes. She learned all about me, and I learned that she knew folks in our community and had put a deposit on a place there, but didn't feel ready. We knew a few people in common, etc. It just made my day that two people who didn't know each other could just stand there and chat that long!

Just a little Rosie news: This is her new favorite passtime on our walks. She loves to sniff cars! I think it's something she was never exposed to in Bluffton, with most cars being in garages. She'll start at a wheel, sniff it good, and sniff all the way to the next wheel! I can imagine that there are lots of exotic smells on those tires, and she's identifying all of them!

Below is the only photo I took at the Olympics! It was of a sweet, gentle therapy horse. He was just adorable, like a big doggie with hooves!!

I hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying life. Take care, my friends, you're in my thoughts. Let me hear from you when you can.

Another Day, Another War!

Well, where to begin? Since my last post approximately a month ago, we are now at war with Iran - we being the aggressor, along with Israel. Both countries are controlled by two elderly criminals who will burn it all down to stay out of prison! I really underestimated trump as I didn't think even he would be foolish enough to ignite things in the Middle East. Silly me!  And I love how, when he feels it in his bones, he'll just put that genie right back in the bottle!! God help us.

I was reading The Sisterhood about women in the CIA, and there was a part about the first Gulf War and the bombing of Khobar Towers. I was there at that time, and we were awakened in the middle of the night by the explosion. We later saw the remains of the building. It brought back a lot of memories of being close to a war zone, hearing scuds fly by, flying out on a military plane, etc. And a week later, the Middle East is aflame again! It has really put me in a funk, and I feel sad for our country. When you think about it, we have no government! The republican controlled House, Senate, and Supreme Court have handed our republic over to a soulless madman. They have abdicated their oath to the Constitution and neglected their duty. We are rudderless....except for the madman! I hope I'm wrong, but it's difficult to see how we can ever recover if anything is left by the end of the trump era.

As though I wasn't in enough angst, I just finished Kamala Harris's book 107 Days! It was an audiobook, and she narrated it. It brought back the hope we had felt and clearly showed the contrast between her and what we wound up with. I think how (positively) different our nation would be if we had elected intelligent women when we had the opportunity! I'll stop there.

One very timely event I attended was a conversation with Ben Rhodes held at Presbyterian College. He was a speechwriter and National Security Advisor for President Obama, and is frequently seen on MS NOW. Needless to say, the first question was about Iran. He helped negotiate the agreement with Iran that trump trashed! His basic feeling was that the longer it goes on, the worse it will get, and the more we will feel it. I wouldn't argue with that! 

On a positive note, there are signs of Spring. In fact, this is the second go-around! Color was beginning to show very early when we had a weekend of ice, followed by a weekend of snow, which killed everything. We've had lovely temperatures and things are peaking out again, but there's still time for a cold wave. It is good to see the color and feel the warm temperatures. My hope is for a nice, long Spring!

Things have been pretty busy around here as we are preparing for the Presbyterian Communities' Olympics! In April, all 6 communities will get together in Columbia to compete in Bocce ball, miniature golf, cornhole, a quarter-mile speed walk, and a 3-dimensional puzzle. So, each week we get together and "train." I'm doing the walk. Every other day, the guy who is competing and I get together to do the walk to increase our speed. Bocce ball and cornhole would be much easier, but I've never played either, and my play is very erratic. They are fun, and I hope we continue playing them after the games are over.

We've also had a fine dining evening where our chef shows his stuff. He is excellent! We also welcomed newcomers with an Irish-themed dinner, and we'll have a special lunch for St. Patrick's.

I had to take my car to Greenville for servicing. It was time for a regular checkup, but there was also a recall to be corrected, which meant it would take longer. I was pleased when they offered a loaner, which allowed me to pursue my search for Indian food. Maria, Mark, and I had tried Persis, which was our favorite Indian restaurant in Savannah. The one here was good, but not quite up to our original. Since then, I've been to Saffron, which is a very attractive place, and the food was very good. This time, I found Hocco Indian Kitchen. It was more basic, with lots of people coming in for take-out. The food was also very tasty. So, now I feel I have a choice - if I want take-out, it will be Hocco. If I have company and want something nice, it will be Saffron. If anything else comes across my radar, I'm perfectly willing to give it a try, too. My next genre to explore will be Thai food.

The only other thing to report is that I've become addicted to Sudoku! I always had a book around, but would just do one every now and then, focusing mostly on crosswords. Since our two winter weekends of ice and snow, as well as the state of our nation, I've finished a complete book!! I've done them to the point of feeling I'm in a stupor! 

On that note, I'll close. I hope all is well with you, and that you're finding some silver linings!

Another Birthday and Lots of Weather!

It's a dark, rainy day, perfect for catching up on my blog. There is an ulterior motive - I'm avoiding doing my taxes! By "doing", I mean getting everything together for someone else to actually do them. Normally, that isn't too much of a problem, but this year, with the sale of the house, everything I sold or donated, the move, etc.. I have no idea what to expect. I just know there's a lot of stuff to organize in a way that someone else can deal with it! Not looking forward to it.

Yes, I celebrated another birthday in good fashion. Many thanks to those who called, texted, sent cards, and emails - it was wonderful to hear from you all! It truly showed me how fortunate I am to have such caring friends in my life. I shared lunch with Anna (to my left), whom I met when I first visited CPC, and who is in my lunch bunch. J Lynne, who was the front desk person here until her husband retired, came from Columbia to celebrate with us, and Mary, who moved here about a month after I did, and who also has a doggie. Dini sang her own inimitable version of Happy Birthday to me, as she does for all of us. It was great. If you look carefully, you'll see that I have three plates in front of me. I had ordered from the menu when someone told Chef Mark that it was my birthday (the lone vegetarian). He then made Eggplant Parmesan for me and came out with a chocolate bomb with a candle!! It was lots of fun, and the four of us closed down the dining room at lunchtime. J Lynne then came home with me for a short visit and to see Rosie! I also received a call from Rabbi Covitz, whom I worked for at Congregation Beth Yam. They were on their way to visit Ariel in her first year of college. She was born on my birthday, and it's difficult to believe she could now be in college. But then, I'm one year away from being 80, so a lot of time has flown by! Thanks to one and all who added to my birthday joy! I love you all.

That fun time was followed by two weeks of cold weather. The first weekend was icy, which led to just hunkering down and waiting it out. The greatest fear was losing power, which didn't happen. If we had known we would not lose power, we could have relaxed and enjoyed it. Since I knew I didn't have to walk Rosie, I had a pajama day, which I'd not had in years. It was wonderful. I did get Rosie out back. Sometimes she would go, and other times not, but we didn't sweat it. I have a pee tray for her, and she can go when she pleases, so no worries. I included the photo of the pizza because, while the ice was on the ground, our meals were delivered. Chef Mark treated me well again, and I had no complaints. 

The next weekend was just snowy. We got about 6+ inches, and it was lovely to watch the snow falling. As everyone was cozy inside, it was pristine, without even footprints until I walked up for lunch. It was so pretty, I hated to disturb it. Within the following two days, it was all gone, which is as it should be!

During those two weekends, I sat around doing crosswords and sudoku puzzles until I felt I was in a stupor. My eyes were bonkers from staring at arm's length for so long, and my brain was fried! I used to only do Sudoku occasionally, but now I'm addicted!

With the weather being harsh, things have been pretty quiet. I did take a painting class. What I didn't know at the time of signing up was that Presbyterian College students would be there to help us out. It was part of their MLK service project, and they volunteered in many areas of the community at large. Asia helped me, and she was a sweetie. The final project was as amateurish as I expected, but we had lots of fun doing it. Just having them in the room added to the enjoyment of it (PC students also join us once a month for a trivia competition). We recently had a cornhole competition. I'd never played it before and was excited to try it. I wasn't particularly good at it, but it was fun, and I'll definitely try it again. I may have already mentioned that I've joined a Strength and Balance class twice a week. It isn't all that strenuous, but it's better than nothing, which is what I'd be doing on my own! To negate all of that, there's Happy Hour on Fridays!

CPC, and probably all facilities like this, celebrate everything! Christmas almost did me in! There is also a monthly celebration of birthdays, and a lot of us celebrated in January. Valentine's Day was no exception to the rule. We were entertained by a musical couple singing familiar love songs. There was lots of good food and prizes. Those in the photos are, in order:

Brittany - Life Enrichment assistant

Jennifer (and volunteer) - Life Enrichment

Catherine and Trudy (lunch bunch)

Trudy and Susan

Susan and Jan (lunch bunch)

Except for Jan and staff members, we are all Independent Living in the cottages near the main building.

Not a lot else to report. I am listening to Margaret Atwood's memoir, Book of Lives. I know little of her work except The Handmaid's Tale from TV, and I was a bit put off when I saw her audiobook was 26 hours long! I'm glad I didn't give up, because she's quite the storyteller. She has a wonderful memory for detail and a wry sense of humor.....and she narrates the book! It's made up of vignettes of various aspects of her life, which cover a variety of experiences and travel. Much to my surprise, I've thoroughly enjoyed it and am motivated to read some of her work.

With all of the horrendous things happening in our country, I'm back to faxing my senators and congresswoman weekly, as well as our wackadoodle state legislature. I get flustered on the phone, even with notes, but I can write it much better. I can do it all on my computer, even without a fax machine. Faxzero.com allows five free faxes a day, which is plenty. This may come in useful if you can't email the government official you want to contact, though some do not even list fax numbers!! Yes, they really want to hear from us, especially those in red states! With ICE doing what it is doing, illegally and unconstitutionally, I'm not sure why everyone isn't concerned. 😞

I'll leave you with a little video of Rosie enjoying her squeaky toy. I'm happy to report that she's doing well. I have to tell you a little story that made me laugh. One of her favorite people came up to me and said, "I'm going to have my attorney contact you about joint custody of Rosie!" I laughed out loud! That was so cute. He plays with her every time we run into each other, and she loves it!

Take care, my friends. Sending lots of love to all.

A New Year and a Walk for Peace

It's a dark, rainy day here. Perfect for me to sit and update you on my doings. First of all, I think everyone here was ready for December to end and things get back to normal (whatever that is!). We had a lot happening around Christmas, much more than I'm accustomed to, and it was so accessible and easy. As happy as I was to put it behind me, I just got Christmas items stored yesterday!! I was ready to get it out of sight, I just didn't want to actually do it! Anyway, it's over for another year!

Thanks to one and all for the Christmas greetings. I loved the cards, e-cards, calls, and messages in all forms, but there was only one envelope that tickled my fancy! I'm not sure what gave David this idea, but I loved it.

The New Year was kicked off with a visit by Maria and Mark on NY's Eve. We had planned a leisurely visit, but they had car trouble in Columbia and had to leave their car at a dealership for repair. That meant renting a car, unpacking, repacking, etc. .... just the way you want to start a trip! By the time they arrived and we had lunch, the dealership was calling, and they were trying to make decisions on the fly. I felt so sorry for them, as I knew it would likely dominate their entire trip. Even so, it was wonderful to see them, and I'm so appreciative that they make the effort to stop by. Rosie was happy to see Felix (on the sofa with Maria) and Henry, as was I. I hope their next visit will be calmer and more relaxing.

Another high point of early January was seeing the Buddhist monks who are walking 2,300 miles from Ft. Worth, Texas to Washington, DC for peace. I had been following them for a while online, and they were supposed to come right through Laurens County, but at the last minute, they changed their schedule. So, I went to bed undecided. The next morning, when I checked my tablet, the first screen was of them, giving their location for lunch about 50 miles away. I plugged it into my GPS, and off Rosie and I went. They were having lunch at Liberty Hill Lookout, which turned out to be an abandoned lookout tower and residence in the middle of nowhere!! Even so, several hundred people were there to greet them. As the numbers have risen, I realized how lucky I was to see them there. It was before Aloka, their trusty dog, left for surgery, before crowds grew so large, and before one of the older monks returned to his temple in France. He is the one in the red hat who always had a wonderful smile. While the setting was pretty inhospitable, the monks made themselves at home, and the crowd was respectful and attentive. There was a sumptuous lunch prepared for them, by whom I'm not sure. My feeling was that it was local Asian residents who tended the table and served the food. I had a spot at one end of the table and could see each monk as they passed by. Venerable Bhikkau Pannakara, the lead monk, served himself last, and before eating, they did a wonderful chant. They sat on the ground along the edge of a square tarp, with Aloka, their trusty companion, resting in the middle. While they ate, I went back to the car and gave Rosie a little walk and a snack. By the time I got back, the lead monk was getting ready to speak to the crowd. He spoke quietly and calmly about peace, loving-kindness, mindfulness, and compassion. While he spoke, Aloka was lying right behind him, accepting love from one and all. 

An amazing observation was their calm, unhurried manner. It is this that sets the tone for all they do. It seemed to encourage more of the same, for the crowd was quiet, attentive, and respectful. As if walking that much, that far, each and every day wasn't enough, I became aware that they are all carrying bags. Most of them carry two! One contains their bowls for eating, and I have no idea what else. Their schedule is also very demanding. They rise and set out early, stopping for lunch around noon. This involves lunch, greeting people, and speaking. Then, they do the same thing in their evening stop, with visiting hours ending around 9 PM! That's a long day!  Since seeing them, I always check their feet now! The day I saw them, Venerable Bhikkau Pannakara was wearing thick socks only.  When they started out the next day, the balls of both feet were bandaged with no socks or shoes (the monk behind him had his feet bandaged the same way, except each toe was also individually bandaged). I can't imagine how their feet feel at the end of the day, and the damage long-term walking has done. They really are impressive, and I'm so glad I saw them. It's also been interesting to follow them after seeing them. The crowds have been building, which is encouraging. I wish them well in every step of their journey.

The only negative thing about it was a young "preacher" with a loudspeaker! He ranted on the entire time, and I couldn't help but think of the damage he was doing to his own religion. Buddhists don't think of Buddhism as a religion, but as a practice, a way of being. It complements any and all religions.....but this young man didn't know this. He went on and on, telling us we were going to hell, Jesus was the only way, etc. At one point, the lead monk gave him a bottle of water and invited him for food, but he righteously declined. I, for one, thought his religion appeared very small and limiting. But, as I said, the crowd ignored him and appreciated the monks. 

Other than that, things have settled a bit. I've finally been able to join a Strength & Balance class that has been newly implemented. It's very adaptable to one's physical limitations, and just the type of thing I need. It's held twice a week, and I'm about the fittest in the group! I don't often get to say that!! I continue with the Trivia group, and tomorrow, I'm doing a painting class! I'm not the least bit artistic, so that should be interesting. You may or may not see the results!!

I'm happy to report that Rosie is doing well, better than in a while. She has a calming collar, and I've found a calming treat that seems to be making a difference (and, unlike the first I tried, she will eat it!). She's eating better, and all is well. You can only imagine the difference her improvement makes to my life. Long may it continue.

I would comment on the state of the nation, but I don't have the heart or the space to share my thoughts and feelings. I NEVER imagined we would be where we are today, and it saddens me to the core. I'm not sure we'll ever be able to recover from all that is going on, and I'm saddened by all we're losing, thrown away at the hands of a corrupt, soulless administration. It is truly sad.😔