I was just recovering from the Rally to Restore Sanity (and two consecutive "midnight-train-to-Georgia" rides) when I took off to NC to check on my mother. Full of enthusiasm and good intentions, I was looking forward to being there and seeing her. This was another one of those times when things just didn't go as planned or wished. So, back I came, hat in hand....glad to be home.
So, it was with special joy that I looked forward to seeing Cheryl and Phil, who stopped by here as part of their extended vacation. Cheryl sent an email the day of their departure saying they would like to take me for a late lunch on the 12th. From that, I extrapolated (in my hopefulness) that they would stay the night and we would have plenty of time to catch up. As it turned out, they could only stay a few hours.......so we did our very best to catch up in that time!!
Cheryl is my protest partner (two anti-war protests by the Gray Panthers!) and I've seen her more often than Phil, so it was good to see him looking so well after all this time. We commented on the bond of our overseas/Aramco friends and the difficulty of replicating those types of friendships here. We all agreed that those experiences gave us a very different outlook from many people here......and for that I'm very grateful. As a lot of time has passed since our overseas days, there was a general consensus that we don't feel our age......which is great! It was a very good visit, with the only complaint being that it was all too short. I hope it won't be that long before we're all together again.
We went to Truffles for lunch, which is right out the back gate. The food was good, but the friendship and camaraderie were better. They stopped in the house only a few minutes before heading south. It was just over all too quickly. I know they had a long drive and, with darkness falling so early, they would be driving at night....but, I'm so glad they stopped by. All I can say is that longtime Aramco friends are the best. Unfortunately, they are strewn far and wide......but it's always wonderful whenever we're able to get together.
To all my friends, far and wide...
Thank You, Friend
Thank you, friend, for all the things
That mean so much to me--
For concern and understanding
You give abundantly.
Thanks for listening with your heart;
For cheering me when I'm blue;
For bringing out the best in me;
And just for being you.
Thanks for in-depth conversation
That stimulates my brain;
For silly times we laugh out loud;
For things I can't explain.
For looking past my flaws and faults;
For all the time you spend;
For all the kind things that you do,
Thank you; thank you, friend.
It has taken me a few days to recover from the trip and think about how to describe the rally, which basically defies description. It's hard to express the peace, joy, and delight of 250,000 people of all backgrounds, colors, religions, sizes, shapes, etc. congregated in one place, with one hope - that we can all get along and do what is best for all in our country. It's reaffirming to see such a (large) diverse group of people interacting in such a positive way.
Leading up to the rally, news reports were saying that it was expected to be an under-30's crowd.....NOT! As you know, I hooked up with the group from Sun City and I was among the youngest, but their enthusiasm and stamina matched mine. We old-timers didn't seem or feel to be in the minority, and the younger people were impressed that we would make the effort, especially those of us from really red states. Once we arrived at Union Station, we split up into smaller groups, which made navigating the crowds much easier. I partnered with a lady from the island who had also purchased her train ticket, planning to go on her own if that was the only way. We wound up having a lot in common and conversation flowed easily. We had breakfast at the station around 8AM and then headed to the Mall. By the time we got there (around 9AM) it was already crowded. We were lucky to get into the first section close to the stage. Others in our group were behind us and didn't get into this section, so we felt luck to have gotten there when we did. The area directly in front of the stage was thick with people standing, so we moved to the left side under the trees where people who had brought chairs were sitting. We planted our chairs and made camp. From there, we were in perfect people watching position. Over the next three hours, people kept streaming in....it was incredible!! Around 10AM the jumbo screens came on with entertainment, the funnest of which were clips from the Stewart and Colbert Shows of their teasers announcing the dueling rallies, combining rallies, etc. It was fun to see the whole progression of the silliness. There was also music, games, etc. Even though we were near the stage, we couldn't see it well but the jumbo screen was near and clear.
The whole show was televised on Comedy Central and C-Span. While Stewart and Colbert did their usual styles of comedy and kept the sanity/fear theme going, there were lots of other surprises. Keep in mind that two hundred and fifty thousand people showed up with absolutely no idea of what to expect!! It was only one day before that I found something on the internet that said The Roots and Sheryl Crow would be performing. In addition to them, were John Legend, the Myth Buster guys, Father Guido Sarducci, Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens, Ozzy Osbourne, the O'Jays, Sam Waterston, Kid Rock, Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples, Karem Abdul Jabar, Tony Bennett......I'm sure I'm forgetting someone. Anyway, it was great!! I have to tell you that the high point for me was Cat Stevens singing Peace Train. He is a long time favorite of mine and I never in a million years would have expected him to be there.....didn't even know that they were letting him in the country again!! Unfortunately, it was part of a comedy skit with Ozzy Osbourne (Crazy Train) and the O'Jays (Love Train) and he didn't sing the whole song. That was the only (slight) disappointment of the day (but I've listened to all of his songs on my walks for the last two days).
The entertainment was great, but interacting with everyone was the real joy of the day. Yesterday I was thinking of all of those people who had signs that seemed so off the wall and I suddenly realized that, regardless of their political leanings or lack thereof, they were probably there just for that feeling of unity, camaraderie and spirit of the day. The signs were absolutely great - some serious, some silly and some downright baffling. I really wish I could adequately describe the spirit of the day, but it's beyond me. All I can say is that if you ever get an opportunity to attend anything like this, please do. We all need (especially right now) to feel that positive connection to the rest of humanity. It was reaffirming and wonderful.
Doing an 11 hour train trip two nights in a row was as grueling as I anticipated, and Sunday was a very quiet, slow day, though I bounced back pretty quickly. It was well worth it and proved to be a better plan than we realized at the time. I've read several accounts of people trying to get to the location on the metro and it became almost impossible. Reports are that 825,000 people went through the metro turnstiles, when the typical day is around 350,000!! We just walked several blocks from Union Station and we were there. Anyway, I'm mostly revived and feeling good about it all.
Below are my photos. Those in the beginning are my personal photos. Unfortunately, most of them were taken into the sun or of the jumbo screen and eventually I gave up as I couldn't see what I was getting. Therefore, I've taken a few better ones from the web. The last section is of signs (also from the web), which were priceless. It's long but goes quickly.....enjoy! Expand to full screen to better read the signs.
And then there's the election.......what can I say?? One commentator summed it up this morning by saying that over the last 2-3 election cycles, the American people have been sending mixed messages. They want change, but they want it NOW! Never mind that it took us years (of complacency) to get in this mess. That's about all I can say......that I won't regret!!
It's official......I'm off to the Rally to Restore Sanity on Saturday. It has taken me forever to make a decision as I seem to have relapsed into that old Aramco indecisiveness!! I've dithered around for weeks while one plan after another fell through and train tickets went up in price. Even with all that, I couldn't let it go, so Thursday night I purchased tickets. There's a group from Sun City going, none of whom I know, but I'm tagging along with them. We're going up by train, leaving Savannah at 8PM Friday evening. We arrive at Union Station, perfectly situated for the events, at 7:30AM (11+hours!!). That gives plenty of time to have breakfast, wander around and get positioned for the rally, which runs from noon until 3PM. Then there will be more wandering around and dinner, before catching the 7:30PM train back to Savannah, arriving at 6:45AM Sunday morning. It sounds grueling but if the folks from Sun City can do it, I should be able to keep the pace, too (I'm hoping).
It should be lots of fun even though there have been no announcements as to speakers, entertainment, etc. Jon Stewart (Rally to Restore Sanity) and Stephen Colbert (Rally to Keep Fear Alive) should be able to keep it rolling for three hours, though I'm sure there will be others featured. If I understand it correctly, their TV shows will be from DC this week and there has even been scuttlebutt that President Obama might appear on one of them. Am hoping they will begin to share plans throughout the week, to add to the excitement.
For having no plans at the beginning, the weekend was quite busy. The concert on Friday night was excellent and it was nice to have it take place right down the street. It started at 7:30 (earlier than usual) and ran straight through, without intermission, which I really liked. They seemed to be noting everyone's zip code so I'm hoping they are using that info to determine whether or not it's worth doing more things out our way, as opposed to having to always drive on island.
On the spur of the moment, I went to the next-to-last day of the Bluffton festival on Saturday....the weather was just too nice to pass it up!! I hate to keep harping about our weather, but it continues to be beautiful. Today (Tuesday) we are close to breaking the warmest temperature on this date in history!! I'm still in shorts and flip-flops. Anyway, the festival was a totally relaxing way to spend the afternoon - I looked to my heart's content, took photos, ran into a few friends, then settled with a glass of wine and listened to the bands. Totally civilized!!
On Sunday, I forfeited my morning news shows to go to the Unitarian Church to hear Imam Ali from the mosque in Savannah. Who knew there was a mosque in Savannah?? I keep tabs on the Unitarians because I know some of them from my Living Liberally group (two of their members started the local chapter) and they always seem to come up with some interesting programs. Anyway, the Imam did the sermon on "Balanced Communities", which was sensible and thought provoking. There was a social time after the service and then he stayed for Q&A. He prefaced it all by inviting questions and assuring everyone that he would not be offended by whatever was asked. He was very personable, knowledgeable and gave thoughtful answers. I didn't get home until almost 1PM, but it was worthwhile and enlightening.
An unexpected, positive side effect of going to the Unitarian service was that I met another lady who is going to the rally on Saturday. She has since put me in touch with others who are going and I'm now feeling part of the group......I'm on the "official" list. It seems that there will be about 15 of us and I'm even riding to the train station with a lady who is coming from the island. So, things are shaping up nicely for the rally.
We continue to have absolutely fabulous weather.....cool, crisp mornings that warm to the low 80s as the day goes on. It's been this way for several weeks and I hate to think of it coming to an end. So as to take advantage of it all, my neighbor and I went to the opening day of the Bluffton Seafood and Arts Festival. We took our chairs and sat on the bluff overlooking the May River (by the Church of the Cross) for the Blessing of the Fleet....I was thinking shrimp fleet, but it was the "pleasure" fleet!! Even so, it was fun and a great thing to do on a beautiful October day.
Once the blessing was over, we turned our chairs around for a gospel music concert by a very charming and entertaining Kim Polote and her band. From there, we walked down the street to The Dispensary for another concert by the Volunteers, the Army Field Band. They were also very good and all of it made for a totally relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.
Other than that, I've been a little more productive since my last post, but it's been a slow build!! I've had several bursts of cleaning, with a general tidying up and cleaning all of the drawers in my bathroom - again disposing of some things that date back to Saudi days!! Next I hope to tackle my closet.
I visited Rita and she seemed to be doing well under the circumstances. The interesting thing was that she was playing cards with her friend.......with no problem. There was only one time when she got a little confused but quickly "got it"........but, when she tried to speak, it was either a jumble of words or a real struggle. The human mind and body are amazing and baffling things!! She was pleased to see me and I'm glad I went, and hope to see her again soon.
Wednesday I joined Sharon for lunch and also ran into several other people from my synagogue days. We enjoyed catching up and it was good to see everyone. Tomorrow night I'm going to the choral society concert, songs of faith........so, it's been a good week for music.
Just heard from Jan, who today went to a rally for her Senator, Patty Murray. It also featured President Obama, which must have been exciting. I remember seeing him in Jacksonville before the election, and it was electric. He does have lots of charisma and, as I said to Jan, I hope he can get everything working in time to be re-elected. As bad as things have been (and as much as everyone is complaining), it helps me to think of where we would be if he had not been elected.........think McCain/Palin!!
This has been the view from my window for the last few mornings. It's cooler now and we've had a layer of fog for the last couple of mornings. Great sleeping weather!!
Since being home from NC, I've been battling inertia and lethargy, for some reason not being able to focus on very much. I am liking my new laptop and wasting a lot of time with it. Believe it or not, I went through 60+ floppy disks (yes, floppy disks - computers no longer have slots for them and some dated back to Aramco days!!). Photos were removed and all saved to a removable hard drive, a few other items were saved, then all were thrown away. Then, I did the same with the same number of CD's!! It is nice to have all photos together in one place and backed up.......and space has been created on the shelves above my desk. At least something was accomplished while sitting on my butt!!
My walking routine is back in place and the temperature is such that it can be done almost anytime through the day, which is great. Between the rain and my trip to NC, I didn't do it for almost two weeks and I really missed it. Am hoping it will begin to generate energy again!!
My friend Rita's husband called several nights ago to let me know that Rita had suffered a stroke. She has fought lung cancer so valiantly, and now to have this. It's just devastating. Al said that she has no paralysis but it has affected her speech. I spoke with her on the phone and her actual speech is fine, it seems to be finding the words that's the problem. She would start a sentence and sound like herself and all was fine, and then she would hesitate and end by saying something like "I just don't know what to say". I'm going by for a short visit with her tonight......just to see how she is and if I can help in any way.
Am also going to my Living Liberally group tonight. The guy who founded the organization 7 years ago in NYC is going to be there, signing his book 538 Ways to Live, Work and Play Liberally. Haven't been in a while and hope to see some familiar faces. It should be fun.
Not a lot else to report but hope to get to emails soon.......I own everyone!!
Well, it's been a busy week!! On Friday I drove to NC so that Saturday we could prepare food for the reunion. So, both were full days. The reunion was not until 1PM on Sunday so we slept in and had a leisurely morning, which was appreciated. It seemed that there were fewer people in attendance this year. Four relatives had died since last year, including two (brothers, Tommy and Warren) my age. Then there were just a lot not there, so it seemed very low key and somewhat of a let down. Even so, it was good to see folks I don't see otherwise. One couple stopped by my mother's for a short visit before heading back to Charlotte. We then went to visit my mother's friend, Ruth, as we had packed a plate of food from the reunion for her. By the time we got home, we were pooped!
Monday was a 9:30AM doctor's appointment for my mother. She has lost even more weight, now being down to only 114 pounds. While he didn't prescribe anything to stimulate her appetite, he did take blood to check her thyroid and several other things. She is to go back on the 18th. If it is caused by her thyroid (or anything else), her appetite should come back naturally if it is treated. It all seemed logical to me......but since I've been back, she's twice complained of not being able to eat and feeling weak. So, I've suggested she move the follow-up appointment forward and discuss it with the doctor. She does eat a very good breakfast, but after that every meal is accompanied with "I just don't want anything", "Nothing tastes good to me", etc. I'll bet she says something similar to that 10+ times a day.......doing her best to talk herself out of eating. So, the doctor is going to have his work cut out for him unless her thyroid is out of balance.
Gypsy and Mama
Tuesday was another full day.We went to Southern Pines to have her eye check. She sometimes has bleeding behind the eye and takes shots directly in the eye!! The clinic is huge and it was absolutely teaming with people. It's set up so that one person takes you and does one thing, you sit and wait a while until someone else comes along and does something else. This continues until you're ready to be seen by the doctor. We left at 10AM and got back at 5PM, with only one short stop to pick up a prescription. What a grueling process!!
By Wednesday, I was ready to head home, being homesick for my kitties. I got an earlier start than expected and was home by 2:30. The kitties got their due attention and then I just unpacked the car and dropped everything where ever it landed.......and headed out to look for a computer. Staples had so few they looked like they might be going out of business, but Best Buy had a great selection. After checking them all out, I decided on a Toshiba notebook. They set it up for me and I picked it up this morning.......so you know how the rest of the day has been spent!! Technology has changed so much since my other one was new. It didn't seen to be slow until recently when it started having problems, but newer ones really are faster, and lighter, quieter and cooler!! It is now pretty much set up the way I want it and didn't take nearly as long to do as I expected. Yippee!!
Before leaving for NC, I ordered a Tom Tom satellite navigation device.......a refurbished one off the internet for about $75 bucks, since I can't see that I'll really use it a lot. So, I've been getting it set up and using it for errands, just to see if and how it works. When Misty was here, she showed me hers and the selling point was that you can call for help (Highway Patrol, emergency services, etc.) if you're stranded on the road. That seemed like a great safety feature for my trips to NC. Anyway, everything from the trip is still where I dropped it, but I've had a great time playing with my new gadgets!!
