Eileen's Visit

 Well, after three tries, Eileen made it! Not only that, her timing was perfect as we had very good weather. The day after she left the temperature hopped up to the 90s and we're still trying to adjust!

Needless to say, we had a fun and busy week with lots of catching up. Our first outing was to Beaufort where we walked around the historic district and waterfront. That never gets old and is always a pleasure to share with guests. We had a leisurely day and got back just in time for Drinking Liberally! 

The next day we hit TJMaxx before having lunch at Giuseppe's, where I left my credit card! From there we went to Fish Haul Beach, which is more private than most beaches around here. Even so, it was more crowded than I've seen it. It was a perfect afternoon to sit on the beach and watch the tide come in. For some reason, I have no photos of it, though I'm sure we took some. We left in time to beat the traffic off-island and stopped at Dollar Tree, where I discovered I didn't have my credit card. I wasn't too alarmed as Capital One sends a text each time a purchase is made and I hadn't received any. So, I called the restaurant. It was there and we headed back on island to pick it up! The best-laid plans!

Thursday was Thrift Shop Day! We hit about 8 of them and Eileen came away with a blouse, shoes, and a lovely skirt. I found 2 tops (Talbots and Lauren) and the perfect Baggallini bag. I had just looked at them at TJMaxx for $30, but they didn't quite work. This one ($3) is organized just right for me! While I'm not a shopper, I'm convinced I need to thrift shop once a month. This is an area that has some great stuff out there....and thrift shops are less crowded than regular shops - a definite plus for me.

The next day was slower-paced. We stopped at Marshall's on our way to meet Tippy and Rhonda for lunch at Ruan Thai (or as we say, we Thai-ed One On!). Again, it was a lovely day and we dined outside, supervised by Junior, our favorite, young waiter! This was an opportunity for my local family to meet my Saudi/overseas family, and it was lots of fun. Tippy invited us over to her place for wine and dessert. Kieran arrived just in time for the last piece of Tres Leches Cake. It was a relaxing afternoon with friends. What can beat that?

Sign at Tios

As Eileen looks back on Saturday, I'll be interested in her comments. I think she was totally astounded that we are going through this whole abortion thing. My feeling is that when I talk to her and Ann about politics, they think I'm a bit over the top. Now that she's been here to see it all, she may be as confounded by it all as I am. In any case, Eileen was curious to spend the day as I would, so we started with an Indivisible meeting at 10AM. I really wanted to attend because I had not been able to hear Mia McLeod (running for SC Governor against our longtime favorite, Joe Cunningham) or Dr. Annie Andrews, running against Nancy Mace for the US House. They were both very impressive and confirmed my view to vote for capable women whenever possible (sorry, Joe!). ELECT WOMEN! From there we went to a 2-hour protest on Bluffton Parkway, which was part of a nationwide PRO-CHOICE protest. This was the largest turnout of any protest I've attended locally - estimated at 300 people. I was impressed by two older men who attended, one with a cane and another with a portable seat, which everyone helped him stabilize. He had made his own sign attached to a fly swatter! There were also more young people, as well as people who had just heard about it and had no idea there were local groups available. I did my thing with my sign and Eileen had lots of time to move around and socialize with everyone. We got lots of thumbs-up and honks, with only a few birds and one person yelling "murderers." All in all, a good day! From there we went to Tio's, where Annie Andrews would be having a meet and greet. By this time, we were just happy to have lunch and a good chat.

On Sunday, we're back to Beaufort to see if we can find Crystal Lake Park. Twice before (with Pamela and Chris), we've tried to find it with no luck. This time we succeeded and had a nice walk around the lake. The high point of the visit was a fish that "skipped' across the lake five times! He just kept jumping! An eagle also made a major appearance, swooping down before we knew what was happening. It really was a treat of nature. We also went to Coffin Point, which was uneventful, and Fort Fremont, before heading into town for a very late lunch. We discovered that most restaurants along the waterfront are closed on Sunday, but we did finally find a pizza place that made a great eggplant Parmesano sandwich. 

Monday, the day before Eileen's departure, was a day of hitting any shops she wanted to browse that we had not already covered. All are within a few stoplights of my house so it was easy to cover a lot in a short period of time. We had a late lunch out (Chow Daddy's) and got home in time for Eileen to pack. Reyna and the girls stopped by to wish her safe travels and Rosie doted on her, not knowing it was coming to an end.

Needless to say, we recounted our many friends and told stories of the past. We both were touched by the kindness of friends who added to our time together. Before Eileen left the UK, Lois and Tony of the Orkney Islands sent funds to boost our wine tab. Cheryl sent a gift certificate to First Watch, knowing that's one of my favorite brunch restaurants. We used it on the morning of Eileen's departure. We were both touched by their kindness and thoughtfulness. Thank you all.

In the meantime......

Normal life intervened! The Friday before Eileen was to arrive I noticed some water standing in my driveway as I left to take Rosie for her walk. I didn't think much of it as my sprinklers come on early in the morning and I thought it just had not evaporated. Later in the morning as I was running errands, the water had begun trickling down the driveway! I consulted my neighbor for advice and we discover that the ground around the tree was soaked. I called the guy who does my yard and he dug several feet down to discover a broken pipe. He and his guys spent much of the afternoon repairing the leak. He left it exposed until the next day just to be sure the repair was complete and would not leak. Phew!

Once Eileen arrived, we discovered that the shower (in the bathroom that is never used) had no water coming from the hot water side. I think this must have been happening when Melodee was here but I misunderstood the problem. I thought it was taking a long time for the hot water to get to the shower (because there was hot water getting to the sink) when actually NO water was coming to that side. Anyway, since I like to shower in the evening and Eileen prefers the morning, we both used my shower rather than having to spend a day waiting for a plumber. I did contact one right away and scheduled him to come the day after Eileen's departure. He came as scheduled, fixed the shower, and discovered a problem in my bathroom, which he will repair when a part arrives. Hopefully, that will take care of it.

Why do I do these things?

I was getting fed up with my cell phone bill being so high, so I paid off my phone using the points/air miles accumulated on my credit card. Even so, my bill was still $60/month. So, I left Verizon for Mint, which you've probably never heard of. It's actually owned by Ryan Reynolds and several other celebrities and uses the T-Mobile network. Everything is done online and they send a SIM card with instructions, videos, etc. to help you through the process of inserting it into the phone. As you might expect, there were the usual hiccups. I had to keep swapping the SIM cards until I got all of the info from Verizon that I needed. Once I got the transfer PIN from Verizon, it was relatively smooth sailing. I kept pestering David, Tippy, and Reyna to call me to test whether or not everything was working. It appeared that they could leave a message but the phone wasn't ringing for me to answer! I contact Customer Service this morning to find out which voicemail app works best with it. He made some changes to my program and everything seems to be working fine. I am interested to see if I have the same coverage as Verizon, but that remains to be seen (though I've heard several people who switched to T-Mobile say they were happy with the service). Will keep you posted. I have signed up for 3 months of 4GB of service for $45, which was a special offer. After that, it will be 3 months for $75. Even so, I pay almost that much per month! If coverage is good and any locals are interested, please let me refer you and we will both get credits - AND I will share what I learned to make the whole process easier for you. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Getting Ready for Company!

I’m going to start by telling you a Rosie story that I forgot to tell you last time. One morning we were taking our normal walk and on our way home, Rosie decided she wanted to visit Norma and Kurt. I’m standing on the walkway in front of their house and Rosie is pulling at the leash and whining to go to the door. I’m just waiting it out for her to get tired and give up, but Kurt passes the window and sees us. He opens the door, and Rosie is off like a shot! We’re invited in and have about a 20-minute visit. The thing is that everyone (seems to!?!) gets a kick out of it and she is very loving once she gets inside. Yesterday we went to Wright Park for our afternoon walk and several kids came up to pet her and she loves it. Then she travels around and just visits people. Most people are very receptive to it and one lady said, “she looks so happy.” I hope that is the case and that she adds a moment of joy to their day.

I heard from Pamela, who lives in San Poncho, Mexico, with an invitation to visit. Her daughter had planned to visit in May but had to cancel and Pamela thought of me, which was very nice. I could definitely be tempted as I feel like I need to break out of my routine and get back into travel mode. My biggest concern is leaving Rosie! After our last Africa trip, she was so whimpery and needy when I got home. It broke my heart! Now, with being home so much due to Covid, she is that way if I go out for a couple of hours with friends. So, if I want to travel peacefully again, I have to get this figured out. In any case, I’m looking forward to Eileen’s visit on the 9^th so the timing doesn’t work, but maybe we can make it happen in the future.

Tippy and I have gotten into an occasional habit of meeting for breakfast on Sunday mornings at First Watch, which we both like. On April 24^th we changed it up a bit and Chris and Kieran joined us at Frankie Bones for lunch and then we all went to a play by the Lean Ensemble – Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf: A Parody! It was a quick-paced, clever, and humorous script whose characters were well-known characters from American literature – Willy Lowman (Death of a Salesman), Balance DuBois and Stanley Kowalski (A Streetcar Named Desire), Martha and George (Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), and the stage manager from Our Town. You can imagine the dysfunction and humor that ensued. It really was cleverly done and provided lots of laughs, which were much appreciated.

Felix, close to me but looking at the door

Maria and Mark across the street had guests for three days and had a full day planned in Savannah. Mark came over that morning and asked if I’d check in on Felix and let him out in the (fenced in) backyard, which I was happy to do. So, Rosie and I headed over around 1PM and I was amazed and saddened at how subdued Felix was! The sprinklers were on and I sat on their patio until they stopped and Felix just stayed close and kept looking at the door. It was like he was just waiting for Mark and Maria to come out and join us! Rosie enjoyed sniffing around and I did get Felix out in the yard. He wiggled around in the grass a little and got a tummy rub, but then he was ready to go inside. It really broke my heart to see how much they miss us when we are away.

Eliana, Rosie, & Felix, saying goodbye!

Another neighbor, Deanna, who has 4 special needs doggies emailed me to say that they were going to have to put Eliana to sleep on Friday (4/29). She asked if I’d like to say goodbye as she knows I’m one of Eliana’s favorite people – I always have a pocket full of treats! We met up the next morning on our walks and were joined by Mark and Felix. Eliana was in her carriage and I brought some special treats for her, which she fully enjoyed. She has/had the kindest face and was so sweet. I will certainly miss her. Even so, she could no longer walk, was incontinent and, even though she was eating, continued to lose weight. Deanna certainly did everything she could for as long as she could, but that is such a difficult decision. I felt for them all. Not an easy time.

Groups (Liberal Ladies’ dinner) and committee meetings (LCAH and Blues social groups) continue, but last night Chris, Deborah, and I met with Melyssa, our “young friend”, who has recently and suddenly moved to Asheville. Melyssa organized us for a monthly gathering for years until Covid came along and made that difficult. It was always nice to get together with someone of a different general and share ideas, beliefs, and outlooks. We always had lively discussions and lots of laughs. Suddenly – or what

Deborah, Me, Melyssa, and Chris

seemed sudden to us – we saw on Facebook that they had moved to Asheville. Luckily, she was coming down to finalize the packing and we were able to get together for a farewell dinner. It was exciting to hear about their adventure – Melyssa will be able to carry on in her current job and Danny will be working at the famous and gorgeous Park Grove Inn. It was wonderful to hear and see the enthusiasm at the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. I hope we will continue to be in touch in order to share their experiences and we all wish them well.

Then, as in the trump years, I arrived home from our fun gathering to the news of the leaked Supreme Court opinion. I am 75 years old, never had an abortion, and not sure I ever would if the situation had arisen, but it angers me to the core for other human beings to think that they are God. They know what is right for everyone else, especially in a dire situation. Maybe I’m a simpleton, but I can’t begin to imagine what might bring one to consider an abortion, but I can’t help but think that maybe they need care and compassion, not white, male, authoritarian judgment. I’m also smart enough to know that I will never be able to fully understand their circumstances in the most private and personal decision of their life, and it does not require my (or anyone else's) input. It’s strange that those who want “small government” are perfectly willing to tell everyone what to do in their most private life! And let me also say, it angers me that some women are perfectly fine to let this happen to other women – and don’t think they won’t consider abortion if something happens with their child. They will just do it quietly, on the sly, and get away with it, all the while judging and betraying other women (and don't think this is the end of it. ...birth control, gay marriage, etc. This is only the beginning). I am PRO-CHOICE. I want women to be able to do what is best for them and the ones they love. It is not my business and it is certainly not the government's business. This is not the country I thought it was. It is not the country I thought I would grow on in. Sad....and mad!

I’m just trying to squeeze this in before Eileen arrives. on Monday The rest of the week will be cleaning and cooking. I hope this finds everyone safe, well, and enjoying the summer. Much love.

Eye Surgery, Easter, and Beyond

 4/4/22: I totally forgot to mention that I will be having the first of two cataract surgeries on Wednesday The process began on Monday when I started putting 3 different drops in my left eye twice a day. I will be doing some version of that for the whole month, if not longer when my right eye is down. Chris is going to be my caretaker who has to remain at the facility the whole time. I’m not sure why that is necessary, but it is! They will also go over all instructions with her in case I’m too woozy to remember. I feel bad that it ties up so much of her time, but I will return the favor when she needs it and I’m repaying her with the promise of a delicious meal of her choice in Savannah. It will be another excuse for us to get into Savannah.

At this point, my major concern is that I’m not to lift anything heavy (no chance!) or bend over for the first two days. Well, my little buddy has short legs and must go out to poop, which has to be picked up. I may just take the easy way out and put her on her tether outback. I can sit with her and pick up poop on the third day.

My left eye went well. I was in and out of the outpatient clinic in two hours. It probably seemed much longer for Chris who spent that time in the waiting room! Since the surgery, I have basically been going without my glasses with one eye done and the other not, my vision is a little bit off with or without my glasses. Even so, when the right eye is done I think my distance vision will be great. I may get away with readers, which I never believed would be possible. So, we shall see. I have my right eye done this coming Wednesday (4/20) and am eager to see how it all shakes out. There was no pain or discomfort. My greatest concern was at night as I sleep on my sides and was afraid of digging my face into the pillow and hurting the eye. I did have to wear goggles the first two nights but that was too awkward to maintain for longer than that. All in all, it went very well and I hope the second goes as well as the first.

Unfortunately, Tippy had a setback. As mentioned last time, she had very little pain or discomfort after her shoulder surgery but last week she unbuckled her hand in order to do her forearm exercises. In the process of using her phone, it fell and she grabbed for it, moving her whole arm and shoulder. She immediately felt the full degree of pain that she had avoided up to that point, and even minor movements hurt. She was advised to do very little over the weekend, and they would check with her on Monday to see if x-rays were necessary. Luckily, things settled and she is back on the mend.

Chris and I joined Liberal Ladies for a program at Penn Center. It has an interesting history and the presentation was informative. It was followed by a box lunch on the grounds. Other than being a bit windy, it was a lovely day and we enjoyed lunch and a walk around the grounds. It was here that Dr. King wrote his "I Have a Dream" speech and some years ago my mother and I came to see Bill Clinton when he was campaigning for Hillary.

Lynn and I arranged a gathering of Crescent Democrats (called the Crescent Blue Wave) at Oak Terrace restaurant. Several years ago there was a concerted effort to organize “social” groups within gated communities as a way of communicating with liberals, getting volunteers, etc. We had one social gathering early on but then Covid hit. Over the years of Covid, we pretty much discovered that getting people in our age group to do anything other than write postcards is expecting too much. So, we weren’t disappointed when we had only 12 people show up. They seemed to have a very good time and there were others who would have attended except for company, being out of town, etc. We did our bit and that’s all we can do!

Easter weekend was quiet but pleasant. On Friday, I spent a couple of hours tending the Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate’s table at the Gullah Market at Martin Family Park in downtown Bluffton. It was fun because it was the first time most of us had seen each other in person since Covid started! Everyone was jovial and in good spirits and it was a lovely day to be outside. Sunday Tippy and I got together at First Watch for breakfast and Tippy actually drove herself I fully expected to be her chauffeur but she felt she could do it. Kieran backed her car out to the street, got her buckled in, and put the car in D. She drove to my house, where I unbuckled her and put the car in P!! When she left, I got her set up and pointed in the right direction and away she went, getting home safely. But before that, she stopped in to see Rosie and we took her for a walk. As we were leaving the house, we were joined by Mark, my neighbor across the street. and The Adorable Felix for our walk to the clubhouse and back. It was leisurely and a nice way to enjoy the day. Before leaving, I showed Tippy Wordle since she is a crossword fan. Being a crossword fan, I thought she would enjoy it. I guess the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament went well and the rain predicted for the whole weekend held off until the evening. So, I went to bed to gentle rain and awakened to the same.

For some reason, around Easter, my Facebook feed was bombarded with beautiful pictures of Malta, which brought back fond memories. One repat Allan and I started out in the UK with no plans other than to go to a travel agent and see where we could go. I was hoping for Kenya but we didn't have time for vaccinations, paperwork, etc. In any case, we would up in Malta, which was a total delight. The weather was nice, the scenery was beautiful, and the history was much more than I ever knew. On top of that, it was Easter week! There was one whole day of enactment and processions like I had never seen before. We had a prime spot in front of a church by which everything passed. It was amazing. Another thing that stands out is a famous restaurant that someone recommended that did not disappoint, as well as me driving us around one day in a Mini with the hand brake up!!

4/19/22: As a thank you to Chris for being my chauffeur for both of my eye surgeries, I promised her a lunch of her choice in Savannah. She chose Troupial, a Venezuelan “coffee service” which we’d had our eye on for a while as they were renovating an old house to become their restaurant. They had just reopened at their new location, and it was totally charming and the food was delicious (the link above shows the work they put into getting the new place ready, and you can get a feel for the setting and food on their FB page.). The staff was young, pleasant, and attentive. As we were leaving, one of them invited us to go upstairs and check out their dining area there. While the downstairs area was limited, there were dining spaces on the front porch, a deck outback, and the upstairs area. It was a fun way to spend part of a very nice day and I think we both enjoyed it.

The following day (yesterday) was my second eye surgery, which went as smoothly as the first except there was a short delay before I was seen. Once the process begins, it runs like clockwork. It’s a small out-patient clinic with about 4 operating rooms and several other procedure rooms (I was on my way to the OR when I asked, and I forgot the complete answer!). They see about 40 people/day – and to think they can do what they did to my eyes with such amazing results! Needless to say, I am very pleased!.

April - The Year Marches On!

 After describing the glorious weather we’d been having, we had the weekend from hell. Saturday was high winds such that I doubted Rosie would go for her walk. She braved it and was only frightened when the gusts were so strong that they blew leaves, pine cones, etc past her. She would then scurry ahead with ears back and tail down. Late in the day, the winds subsided and the temperature took a dive. We had 2 nights in the 20s and 30s. I think it felt colder because we had shed our layers of clothing and we weren’t prepared for it. It’s warming up again and it looks like we’re good for the next 10 days – but I’m moving into it slowly!

The time change has thrown me for a loop. It is now pitch black at 7AM so I’m sleeping in until 8+ AM! I’m not sure why I feel guilty about that as there is nothing requiring that I get up early – but I do!! It also means that by the time Rosie and I get up and going, have our walk and breakfast, the morning is gone! Today (3/16/22) I was to Zoom with Eileen and Ann. It was rainy and I rushed Rosie out between showers so I could be in and ready for the call at 11AM. I got all set and nothing happened! Due to the time change, I was an hour early! Oh well, it will all work itself out and I’ll catch on eventually. (Since writing this, it is now light at 7AM and we're getting into the swing of spring)

My basic feeling is that the whole Universe is trying to tell us that we need to do things differently in almost every area of our society, and we are doing a good job of ignoring that. While there are so many atrocious things going on in the world (Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, on and on - to say nothing of other issues like climate changes, etc), what we see in Ukraine is heartbreaking. It is one more people added to the long list of those sacrificed at the whim of the evil and powerful. On our repat before the first Gulf War, Allan and I took a Black Sea cruise and we stopped in Odesa and Yalta (now part of Crimea). At that time, they may have still been a part of Russia – not sure. In any case, this painting was by a young woman who was selling her work to afford her education. She was welcoming and spent some time walking with us. Now I see the photos of how they have flourished since being independent of Russia and the current situation breaks my heart. They are doing everything right – they have shown respect for one another and for the frail and fragile. They love their animals and are not deserting them during this horrible time. They are showing heroism in the face of demonic assault.  I fully understand the need to prevent a nuclear world war, but I pray there is a way out of this that will spare the people of Ukraine (and all those in other countries who suffer these atrocities!) – and ensure that NO ONE else will ever be able to do this again! I know, I’m a dreamer….

3/26/22: Got a very good night’s sleep last night and awaken to a sunny, though windy day. After a nice morning walk with Rosie which included coffee with Lynn and Tom, I gave Tippy a call to ask if I could stop by for a visit. This is only her third day home after shoulder replacement surgery and I was pleasantly surprised when she walked down the driveway to greet me! She looked and felt surprisingly well, which I was happy the see. She has taken no meds since being home except Tylenol, which I find amazing. I am relieved to see that she has come through it so well.

From there, I went to the Palmetto Quilt Guild Show. I expected a quiet, quick walk-through, but it was teeming with viewers and vendors, so I just took my time and enjoyed it. Remembering all of those projects I’ve just gotten rid of, and some of them being quilting books, I didn’t even browse through the vendor stalls! It really was impressive and I enjoyed it. I came home and took Rosie for a walk right away as the day was still beautiful. 

Then, the next day, Sunday, Chris and I went to Savannah for VegFest 2022. In years past, a local lady had organized a great one on the island, but since Covid, she seems to be out of the picture! In any case, it was a beautiful day and Forsyth Park was prime people-watching territory. Everyone was out enjoying the day with their kids, dogs, etc. The VegFest itself was smaller than expected but we enjoyed browsing the vendors. Within an easy walk from the park was a vegetarian restaurant we had long wanted to try - The Haunt. We had no trouble getting in and enjoyed a delicious meal. Chris had a flatbread and I had "A Decent Breakfast." The description was such (wild mushroom sausage, lion's mane, wild huckleberry, etc) that I could not even guess what I was getting, but it really was delicious. A lot of vegetarian/vegan restaurants, food trucks, etc. are springing up in Savannah so our options are increasing, but I would definitely put The Haunt at the top of the list.

Amy, a friend whom I haven't seen in a while since Covid, texted to see if Rosie and I would like to get together so we could meet her new puppy, Jesse, a Havanese. I was a bit reticent because Rosie is sometimes timid/frightened in new surroundings and is can be put off by the exuberance of puppies. But, we met up at Jarvis Creek Park and had a nice walk-around. Rosie and Jesse got along fine. Rosie even had zoomies and was taunting Jesse to join in. Once home, she was out like a light, not even having her dinner until sometime in the night!

Had to share this photo from my continuing purge of the house. These (from the garage) are a collection of protest posters from the last few years. The RBG poster brings back vivid memories of a group of local rabid republicans when we protested a meeting where Lindsey Graham was to appear (by didn't)! You're talking about an eye-opener as to how nasty people can be! Some of my "resista-sistas" will get a kick out of this and may even have their own collection!

Spring is in the Air - Maybe!

On the day of my last post, I stayed in my PJs all day long – literally, It was cold, damp, and dreary with no reason to do otherwise. Once in a while, I like a day like that. I was able to get a few things done that I couldn’t manage the day before, so it wasn’t totally unproductive.

I’ve participated in two interesting Zoom calls recently. One was with Dr. Annie Andrews (D) who is running for a seat in the US House against Nancy Mace (R), whom you may have seen recently in front of trump tower groveling to her supreme leader. I was very impressed with Dr. Andrews and certainly hope she is able to win. The other was a Liberal Ladies’ meeting with guest speaker Sam Mihara (https://sammihara.com/), who was interned in a Japanese Internment camp at the age of nine. He and his family were taken from San Francisco to a camp in Idaho. This is another period of shame in our history that few people know about and is not taught in school. His presentation was enhanced by photographs, making it more difficult to understand how this could happen in our country, He ended it by updating us on his friends from the camp and their contribution to our society. It was very informative and moving.

Rhonda came over on the 12th for dinner. Her dad passed away mid-week and she and her brother had been dealing with everything involved with that as well as dealing with the loss. I was glad she could come. After dinner, we watched the Summer of Soul which was great. I’d never heard of the festival, but the music was fantastic. We enjoyed it and it was good to catch up.

As usual, I am at a loss for where the time goes and what I do with it! I did get a bee in my bonnet about our HOA giving a neighbor flack for not having a green lawn. Well, his lawn isn’t green because he has/had four large, stately pine trees in his yard that prevented the grass from growing. It appears that green lawns far outweigh trees! It niggled at me so long that I finally wrote the HOA a letter (email). As everyone predicted, I never heard a word from them though I did feel better for having said my peace. So, John had 4 (not 1, not 2, but 4) large, beautiful pine trees removed. The big truck rolled up and a nice, green lawn was rolled out. I guess the powers that be are happy now.

We have had glorious weather recently, though today and the next few are cooler and overcast with rain possible. Almost overnight the redbuds and azaleas are blooming. Our daffodil fields have been open and in full bloom, but this cold spell has shut them down for the season. They are always a delight to both see and pick your own. After a colder-than-usual winter, it is nice to see spring peeking through and I hope it lasts a nice long time.

I feel like I am slowly coming out of the abuse and shock of the trump years (and you would be surprised at the number of friends who say some version of the same thing!). One of the symptoms of that period was a total inability to get anything done. I refer to it as being “immobilized.” Over the last few weeks, I have been able to get some of the things done that I’ve thought about for so long. One is to clean out the closet and storage of my 3^rd bedroom. It took two days to do the closet and I came across things that I never remembered buying – prints from the UK, France, Prague, Thailand, etc. There were two completed needlework projects, which I never did anything with, and FOUR incomplete projects!! Cheryl told me about a lady she heard about who trolls thrift shops for incomplete projects, which she buys and completes. I hope there is one of those ladies around here! I also had years of tax returns as well as loads of copied recipes going back to before I became vegetarian! It really was ridiculous. I have bags of papers to be shredded and hope to get that done this Tuesday. There are only two more sections of the bookcase left to clear and then I am tackling the garage! Now that is a black hole! I may never be seen again.

Among those things I found in my cleaning were mementos of my time in Saudi – the Arabian Sun article when I won the ladies’ division of the Presidents Cup, a bunch of invitations to Friday Happy Hour, a panoramic photo (made by taping several photos together!) of Dhahran par 3, etc. It really was a walk down memory lane and I’d forgotten the measures we took to get everyone together for end-of-week happy hour…….anyone remember Medina chicken and dining hall shrimp?? Those were the days!

I’m including this photo of Chris and me to prove that we do occasionally dine someplace other than Olive and Fig! We are at The Turn, a new restaurant in the area. We were drawn here because they actually have a vegan section on their menu. Naturally, we wanted to try it out and support it if possible. We had different menu items and both of us were impressed with the flavor and presentation – the owners are vegan, which probably accounted for everything we liked. Even the wine was nice so I think we will be going back again.

I took them some daffodils from our local fields

pSpeaking of Chris, her sisters and their families come down about twice a year, and this time (last weekend) they invited Chris’ Pandemic Pals over for brunch. Chris had told us of their family gatherings with a cast of thousands and more food than the crowd could possibly eat. They certainly lived up to their reputation and we had a great time. They were staying in Palmetto Dunes with a nice, long balcony overlooking the beach. There was everything one could possibly desire to eat – including an omelet station! Most of us had at least two helpings – and then pie!! The food was delicious, the atmosphere was jovial and fun, and it was great to be able to put faces to names. Chris’ stories will now take on new meaning when she mentions her sisters. I wish I’d taken photos but I really didn’t want to break the mood - It was a delightful day. and they could not have made us feel more welcome.

The rest of my time has been spent with friends – something usually involving food! Tippy, Rosie, and I went for a walk along the residential side of Dolphin Head, and Rhonda and I met up one Sunday for a walk on Pinckney Island. I’ve also watched several Zoom things online. One was a 5-day series on Reframing Aging with Maria Shriver. Each day had two parts, the first being professionals, Doctors, etc., and the second being celebrity types. It was quite interesting. The second was a 2-part webinar by PBS about Benjamin Franklin, which included Ken Burns and various authorities on Franklin. This is in advance of a series on Franklins by Burns coming to PBS in April. My reading (audiobooks) has included Will, written and narrated by Will Smith. I enjoyed it more than I expected and came away with a respect for his work ethic, insight, determination, etc.  Going There, written and narrated by Katie Couric, which I was totally non-plussed about. Right now, I’m reading Eleanor and Hick about Eleanor Roosevelt’s relationship with Lorena Hickok, a reporter. I was aware of Franklin’s dalliances but had never heard of Eleanor’s companion. It’s interesting from that perspective but it also sheds light on the happenings of the times. I came across it when I was looking for Eleanor, which a friend had recommended, but it is not yet available as an audiobook from the library. I still hope to read that as well.

To end on a positive note, Eileen has recently notified me that she has booked her flight for a visit in May! We're hoping that the third try is a charm! It gives me something to look forward to and it’ll be fun to catch up in person.

The Big 7-5 and Other Things!

 1/16/21: Winter is upon us with cold nights and mornings, but it usually warms up to the sunny 60s by mid-day. Rosie has no interest in going out in the cold and even less in going out into the rain. So, I’ve adjusted my morning routine to carry on with my things until she sheepishly walks in and lets me know she’s ready! Today was dark, rainy, and dreary but as soon as it stopped raining, there she was ready to go!

Last entry I forgot to tell you about one of my Christmas gifts. It was really a lovely Christmas ornament given to me by Debby and Dave as a hostess gift at the party. That was gift enough and totally unexpected, but as they were leaving Dave said he would like to paint Rosie! He’s a very good artist (and organizer of Bluffton's yearly Arts and Seafood Festival) and I’m so gratified that he has offered to do it. He said it would give him something to do as we say put during Omicron and asked that I send him a few photos, which I did. I told him there was no expectation and if he didn't get around to it, that would be fine. Well, last Sunday they had me over for wine and munchies and he had done it! What a wonderful surprise and you can see that he totally captured her eyes and ears, as well as her funny little legs. I love it!

1/20/22: The Big 7-5!

Even though I had nothing planned, my 75th birthday turned out to be a very nice day. I must have been looking forward to it as I got a good night's rest and woke around 6 AM - very much unlike me! In checking my emails, I found this card from Sandra which got the day off to a perfect start. You have to see it! (I do hope this works. I promise you will smile!)

https://www.bluemountain.com/view/rc421df69a8754d90a590474d4db3b2c7?source=bma999&utm_medium=internal_email&utm_source=pickup&utm_campaign=confirm

I've decided that William Shatner is my spirit animal!! First of all, he is even older than I am but he seems to enjoy everything he does. He's even been shot into space, for heaven's sake!! He seems to never say NO to anything (like this fun video) and just keeps moving forward. There is much I can learn from him.

Rosie and I got out early as it was a nice, warm morning. Lynn and Tom invited us over for coffee which was a great way to start the day. Before we went over, Jan called from Seattle and after we got back Cheryl called from FL. I enjoyed a good catch-up with both.

Even before my birthday, I had gotten cards from Carolyn, as well as Sue and Dave. Reyna brought me gorgeous red roses and a Spartina bag and Melodee sent the heartwarming book, The Goats of Anarchy, which I'd seen online. This is not the first goat gift I've received as you can see by the little white goat by the book. There is a theme here! Eileen timed her card perfectly as I received it on the day. And then there were the wonderful messages online - emails, FB messages, etc. It was fun to see them trickle in throughout the day and I loved receiving them and thinking of friends and family. It was a good day all around!

My only plan for the day was to cook as the fridge was empty. So around lunchtime, I began a vegetarian shepherd's pie and tortellini soup. I wound that up just in time to take Rosie for her afternoon walk. Reyna dropped by after that and I received texts from Rabbi Covitz and Ann and Martin. It was a very nice day and thanks to all who were in touch. There is also a little side story here. Rabbi Covitz calls me every year on my birthday, but this year I had dropped my landline so there was a little hitch. Thank goodness for texts. In any case, I'm so glad I didn't miss it because he told me that he has gone vegetarian!! I went vegetarian the last few years he was here but I never imagined it would catch on or that he would consider it. He said he was motivated by the few animal-friendly things that I post online. Another wonderful surprise!

1/21/22: Today is NOT fun! It’s 1 PM and the temperature is 38F! My house is cold and the heat has run all night non-stop! On the second day, we stayed in bed as long as we could stand it and then got dressed for the day. I have on tights, thermal underwear, two pairs of socks, pants, sweatshirt, and a house robe (and my feet are still cold!)! Rosie has added her sweater as she follows the sunspots around the room. The sad thing is that we have more of this ahead.

11/29/22: The cold has continued. The most nights in the 20s since I’ve lived here I'm sure. As before, It’s 1 PM and it’s 43 with a wind chill, feels like 36.  I did break down and have someone come out and look at my HVAC.  I thought the houses were not built for these temperatures (on a slab, probably poor insulation, high ceilings, etc.) but the house kept getting colder and colder. Sure enough, there was a faulty component and the freon had leaked out of the HVAC! So, it was a matter of putting $1500 into a 14-year-old unit or replacing it. After talking to my financial guy, I replaced it. He said they would probably be less expensive at this time of year than in the summer and, when I thought about it, they had it available for immediate installation. Who knows whether or not they will be available later? Anyway. On the day they installed it, there were the two of them and three cleaning ladies from my new cleaning service. They spent about 3-4 hours doing a deep cleaning. The interesting thing is that all of them were Spanish speakers! At times it sounded like Grand Central Station! Rosie loved it at first but when the vacuum cleaners got going and the guys were up in the attic banging around, it got to her, so she and I retired to the bedroom for some peace and quiet. At the end of the day, she was out like a light. It was a chaotic day but we were happy to be clean and warm at the end of it!

Our winter weather continues but we do occasionally have a warmer one. You probably recognize the Olive and Fig by now, and here we are getting out falafel fix. On this day it was about 75 and sunny., so we made the most of it.

One of my favorite TV binging series has been Grantchester, which I hated to see come to an end. I have since gotten into Endeavour. For some reason, I didn't take to it originally but after the first season, I was hooked. I'm about two seasons away from finishing it and am open to suggestions for future viewing.

Speaking of viewing, I had my eyes checked in preparation for new glasses, which I promised myself for Christmas. As it turns out, I have cataracts in both eyes. I guess that's expected at this age and many friends have already had the surgery. To my surprise, there is also a scar on my left eye for which she prescribe steroid drops for a month to see if it can be improved. She asked if I'd had shingles in my eye and, believe it or not, I think I may have. Years ago I had something awful in that eye, but I didn't have it see to. I remember being in NC with my mother and meeting up with a cousin while I had this terrible eye thing. Maybe it was receding by the time I got back here and I didn't have it looked at. Even so, I distinctly remember how angry it looked and felt, and at the time, even though I didn't know it was possible, I wondered if it might be shingles. Anyway, watch this space!