Well, the rain began yesterday (11/5) around mid-afternoon and continues to this very moment (5 PM, Nov. 6)…..and will continue through the night. Yesterday, the dreariness was combated by our usual Friday gathering. This week it was Chris’ turn to select the location and she picked a winner – the Burnt Church Distillery. It’s fairly new and none of us had been there although I’d seen several events being held there. It has a modern, trendy interior and it seemed noisy when we entered. Even so, we had no problem hearing the conversation around the table, And, the food was delicious! We all agreed that we would visit again.
Today has been
dark and rainy from beginning to end! When I awakened to the sound of the rain,
I rolled over and stayed in bed until almost 9 AM. Even then, I changed from my
PJs into another pair of PJs that looked like a sweatsuit…..in the off chance
anyone would drop by! It was about 2:30 PM before I actually got dressed only because
Lynn and Tom invited us over to see Ted Lasso since I don’t get Apple TV. Again,
it was a nice escape from a dreary day and I did like Ted…..how can you not! It
is the feel-good program of our time and I’m all in favor of that!
An interesting
thing happened when I went to get my $15 haircut at House of Great Clips (11/9).
I’d signed in online so was next up for a clip when I noticed a stylist
cutting the nape of a ladies’ neck the way I wanted mine done. So, I said I
would wait for Amber to finish and ask her to cut my hair. I had noticed the young lady
come in and she said she had been letting her hair grow for about 3 months. She
showed the stylist the cut she wanted and they carried on an animated conversation,
looking at photos online, as she worked. As I’m watching, I see this young lady
turn into a young man before my very eyes! If I had run into her before the cut, I
would have sworn she was a girl. If I’d run into her after the cut, I would have
thought she was a male! Once the cut was complete, she rolled a large piece of
luggage to the counter as she paid her bill. When it was my turn, I mentioned
my amazement to Amber and she told me that the young woman was an impersonator
of famous people. She was on the island to do a wedding as Justin Bieber! She
was from NY and her next gig was in California. She had stopped at Great Clips
because it was Sunday and one of the few places open. It really was kind of an
informative moment. I’m not bothered by one’s sexual/gender preference or
identity, but I’d never really thought about how strongly our appearance influences
our perceptions. It really was a moment of awareness.
Liberal Ladies
had their first live luncheon since Covid. They required proof of vaccination,
which everyone appreciated, and they will keep the information on file so that
we will not have to go through the process for future gatherings. They also
accommodated fewer people with ample spacing. You could tell that everyone was
happy to be able to gather again and have some semblance of normalcy.
It has also
been a month of birthday celebrations – Tom, Chris, and Tippy have all
celebrated this month and we had gatherings on or about the dates. Another
special treat was a visit from Melodee from St. Louis. Those of you who have
followed this blog for a long time know that Melodee lived here for several
years, so there was not a lot of pressure to accommodate her visit. I did have
some food on hand that we could grab according to our schedule, but my plan was
to do and see whatever Melodee had in mind. She arrived late in the day on Wednesday
(11/17) and that was strictly a gab and wine fest – it was non-stop catching
up on the years since we last saw each other. One of her requests was a walk on
the beach, so we checked the weather and decided to do that and “the island” on
Thursday. After a leisurely start, we went to Mitchelville Freedom Park for a
walk on the beach. It was a perfect choice as we had been to many events there
in the past and the beach is a short walk through the woods. It’s also a peaceful,
quiet beach with not many people around. It really was a lovely walk. – sunny,
breezy, and almost 80 degrees! We then drove around the island a bit before
stopping at a ceramic exhibit at the Arts Center by Sheri Frabstein, an artist I’ve known since
my days of working at the synagogue. From there, we returned home in order to
prepare for dinner with friends from Melodee’s days with Drinking Liberally –
Chris, Rhonda, and Lynn and Tom. Unfortunately, Tippy and Kieran were
celebrating Tippy’s birthday in her mountain retreat and were unable to join
us. Even so, it was a festive evening and we all enjoyed it.
Friday, with
cooler temperatures, we did a day in Bluffton. We started with Palmetto
Bluff, which somehow Melodee had missed when she lived here. It’s always a
lovely place to visit and we had a nice stroll around the village, topping it
off with lunch at Buffaloes. Unfortunately, the Inn has been under renovation
and we were not able to go inside so I will be eager to see the final result
when it reopens. From there we went to downtown Bluffton, parked at the Church
of the Cross, and did a walking tour of oldtown. Since Melodee lived here, they
have added two new parks to the area which really adds to the feel of the town.
I was happy to explore (which I should have done earlier!) and have an
opportunity to browse some of the galleries. I also found Woofgang Bakery,
which is dedicated to all things doggy! I came home with a bag of treats that
Rosie really loved and my guess is that I will be going there frequently! When
we had browsed to our hearts’ content, we stopped at the Burnt Church Distillery for a
light bite to eat. I thought Melodee would enjoy seeing the newest, trendiest
place in town (that I know of, anyway!) and we were both eager to share the plant-based
“grazing board.” As luck would have it, that menu item was not available as
some of the items were not in stock AND it was a popular item, which is good
and surprising. So, that will be on my list to try at some point. In any case,
we found tasty substitutes and enjoyed the atmosphere, which is very modern and
hip. One thing of interest is that when Jan visited some time back we sought out the Secession
Oak (do you remember, Jan?). Well, within the last few years, the tree had
split and was removed, and the distillery has a huge portion of it in their
entryway with plans to use it as a base for a decorative table. Part of the
charm of the distillery is that a room is devoted to the history of the area
and the Secession
Oak fits right in….and I thought it might spur a memory for Jan! From there we went home and had a leisurely
evening as Melodee prepared to leave the next morning. It really was a great
visit and a fun time, and I’m pleased that she made a stop here. It was
wonderful to catch up and really made me appreciate our “old times” together.
Melodee left today
(Saturday -11/20) and I had a quiet day planned. I was expecting a delivery of
Rosie’s food (Farmer’s Dog food which arrives frozen). I received a text
message that the package had been delivered and when I went to the door to retrieve
it, there were two packages, with the second being from Harry and David! My
curiosity was piqued! Well, the Harry and David box was from Melodee…..who had
just departed! How is that for planning and timing?? Well, it was a wonderful
surprise…and not at all required, but I certainly appreciated Melodee’s
thoughtfulness. How can that not make your day?! It has really been a nice week
with Melodee’s visit and get-togethers with longtime friends. Rosie and I have
been to the park for her walk and I’m ready to settle in for the evening by
watching The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. For some reason, I had thought
of it recently and it suddenly popped up in my Amazon Prime scanning, so it was
meant to be and I’m looking forward to seeing it tonight. Dopesick and
other more serious things are on the list, but I know the Marigold Hotel will
do me good!
While I have been enjoying the company of friends and being able to get out and about, my
thoughts have been with other friends. As many of you know, Eileen’s older son
was rushed to the hospital on Monday with what was thought to be a brain tumor.
It turned out to be a brain bleed and he was kept in an induced coma, which he
seems to be coming out of today (11/21). It has been a tense, up and down week
for the family and I hope that Darrin’s responsiveness is a step in the right
direction. Eileen had planned to visit me right when Covid hit and travel was
brought to a halt. Travel from the UK has just opened again and she has her
ticket in hand but I’m sure it all depends on Darrin’s recovery. Please hold
them all in your thought thoughts and prayers.
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