12/30/2012

WEEKLY UPDATE 12/30/2012

Christmas was quiet, but pleasant. I got up late (so what else is new?) and poured myself a glass of champagne for breakfast instead of coffee - a little treat. I open the few packages that I had collected for under my tree - nice surprises all of them. Then, I spent the rest of day watching movies on tv and relaxing. That doesn't make much of a holiday for me, since that's pretty much all do I all day every day anyway, except for that champagne thing.

My VISA bill was in the mail in Christmas eve. I thought that the timing could have been better, but then, since I've lost 2 VISAs in two weeks recently, just getting a bill at all should be a thrill for me. I'm lucky I have the account.

I put all the Christmas decorations away on Saturday, so now I have order restored in the condo.

My days and nights are turned around now, and I find that I have trouble sleeping in the night, but nap most afternoons. It hardly matters, since I rarely go anyplace, so whether I'm awake all day or all night doesn't make much difference. However, I was a little under the weather on Friday & I slept for 24 hours. While I didn't have a fever or headache or anything, it's unusual for me to sleep that long, so I think I may have had some sort of bug. It only lasted a day, and now i'm back to normal.

The only time I went out of the condo this week other than to go to the mailbox a couple of times was to go to Bonaventure to open & close and to sit at the desk in the gatehouse to answer questions and hand out maps on Sunday. Since it's a holiday week-end, staff with the Historical Society is generally occupied elsewhere, and since I have little to do other than watch the NFL, I volunteered for a double shift. The last week of the regular season, and I was MIA at Coach's for the early games. I had my verizon jetpack, and followed the scores, so I knew what was happening without being in from of the tube. Most of the games meant little anyway, so who cares. The Bills finally won something; the Lions disappointed again; and although I would have liked to see the Falcons end with a win, it didn't matter all that much to them. ok, Buffalo - wait til next year!

12/23/2012

WEEKLY UPDATE 12/23/2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

I guess I didn't add in the last update - I was able to find new auto insurance, and it's even cheaper than what I had with State Farm. I'm now a personal pal of Flo. But, this has shaken me, and i'm not going to be driving unless necessary. I've given up my DH and MOW, and won't be doing that any more. I'm still involved in the Bonaventure Cemetery Historical Society, because that's only a few miles from my condo, and because I think I need to do something. I don't know if I'll get my confidence back, or if I'll feel that I'll be able to get out as much as I used to. For now, I'll be spending more time just watching tv and playing computer games. This will make for more boring updates.

Last week I did some baking. There were some mighty appealing recipes for pancakes in the Southern Living Magazine - red velvet, german chocolate, hummingbird, caramel. I would make pumpkin pancakes for christmas brunch in my past, and they always tasted so good. Since I don't have a mixer or cookie sheets, baking holiday cookies isn't going to happen, but I could whip up some lumpy pancake patter. I made the carrot pancakes. They were WONDERFUL! I didn't make the homemade topping, but bought a can of cream cheese frosting to drizzle on top. If you don't subscribe to SL, you can find the recipes at the their website: http://www.southernliving.com/food/holidays-occasions/pancake-recipes-00417000080769/

Suzy treated me to the movie Lincoln as a christmas present. It was OK, but not as good as the hype made it seem to be. As a history person, I enjoyed it, but I think it may be a little boring for most movie goers.

I had a very interesting tour at Bonaventure last Friday. A couple was going to be married at Greenwich Cemetery, which is adjacent to Bonaventure. They requested that the historical society present a guided tour of Bonaventure after the ceremony, because there is more history here than at the newer one. I was a little puzzled by this request, until the bride and groom appeared - It was a Goth wedding! The bride wore a black and red gown, black lipstick, and carried dead flowers. The groom was dressing in a top hat, a cut away coat and black leather knee-high boots. Many of the guests (about 30) were also “dressed” for the celebration. Although my thoughts were that I probably should have had my own weddings in a cemetery, seeing as how dead they both turned out, I wished the happy couple lifelong happiness and let it go at that.

12/9/2012

WEEKLY UPDATE 12/9/2012

A baby for Prince William & Catherine! You know how important this baby is if the Duchess is hospitalized for morning sickness. Most of us peons are booted out of the hospital within hours of delivery!

Since I haven't been out much due to my auto insurance issues, I’ve been watching a lot of tv. And a lot of hallmark movies. interestingly, I have noticed that in all the movies (in addition to all the people being rich - and even if they claim to be living with no job or prospects, their homes are beautifully decorated and apparently no one in any of the towns have issues with high electric costs - gorgeous, young, white and sweet): the single parents are almost never divorced, but always the absent spouse died, it always starts to snow huge fluffy white snow on christmas morning, they can always find a parking space right in front of exactly where they're going, - church, hotel, store - even if the building they enter is crowded, the children never say “awww” when they're told that it's bedtime, and they never ever ever make mistakes. Depressing!

I underestimated how sorely I would miss MOW. Thursday morning couldn't help but think that I should be at this place now. I suppose next week will be easier, and it will just get easier and easier the more time that goes by. I didn't miss DH as much, but it was still different not to have to do that.

Saturday night Donna & I went to the Savannah Children's Theater production of My Fair Lady. It was all performed by high school teenagers. Again, we were amazed at the talent of not only the actors & actresses, but the settings, costumes, music and everything associated with the theater. (and Hannah was able to get to the church on time from her slumber party, so this reminds me of her).

Sunday was my second Sunday tour at Bonaventure Cemetery. It didn't work out as I expected, though, as no one was there for a 2:30 tour. I had ordered a pizza at Domino's to be picked up at 4 (half price if you ordered on line), and I was going to be too early for that. Instead of driving back to the condo, I went to Coach's to watch the game. Too bad I did that, because it was not pretty. But, I sincerely enjoyed watching the Bills play in less than 40 degrees and rain. Bonaventure is the only thing I'm clinging to, primarily because it's close to where I live and driving there should be something I could handle. And the people have been exceedingly kind to me.

I thought I’d add a few photos of how festive and gay the condo looks, all ready for the holidays. Of course, if you saw pictures from last year, not much has changed, but here it is:

12/2/2012

WEEKLY UPDATE 12/2/2012

I got to watch the Buffalo Bills game today, because they played Jax, and the Jags are Savannah's “home team”. Although we're in Georgia, we're closer to Jacksonville that we are to Atlanta. I enjoyed watching the victory, of course, but I also enjoyed watching the rain and cold from my 75 degree, sunny atmosphere here in the south. As for the Lions, I guess nothing is going to go right for them – what a heartbreaker.

Something different happened at MOW this Thursday. I don't think it possible not to have "favorites" among the people that I deliver to. One of my favorites died earlier in the day. She wasn't on my list, but was listed as "in the hospital". She was what we might think of as 'white trash' or a 'cracker' - poor white woman from the hills. If she could sing or write music, she might be a Loretta Lynn, a coal miners daughter, or a Dolly Parton with her coat of many colors. She couldn't get out of her chair, but she always had a smile & almost always asked about my grandchildren. Since my car is rather unique, many recognize it as the MOW delivery person, & I was followed as I went to one of my houses by a pickup that pulled up & parked behind me. The lady got out, introduced herself & told me she was Mrs Vandoltran's daughter & tearfully told me her mom had "passed". She said I was a favorite of her moms & she wanted me to know. And at the house where she told me, the caregiver (granddaughter? paid employee?) was skinny again, so I asked if she'd had the baby. Yes, it was a boy & he was asleep. The cycle of life - right there on MOW. I found out this week that if you are involved in an auto accident more than once in a year, the state of Georgia allows your insurance company to cancel your insurance. I found out when I received a letter saying that my insurance wouldn't be renewed and I have until December 28 to find someplace else. So, I'm going to be without wheels. I know I could probably get insurance through another company, in a high risk pool, but I think that if I'm such a great risk, I'd better stay off the streets before I hurt someone. It is not easy to live in America without a car, but I also can't spend all my limited resources on keeping the car on the road. If that's what I I decide to do, I'm going to have to find a way to figure this out, and I have until the end of December. So, I have some big decisions to make. It may be difficult to compose an upbeat “weekly update” about all the fun things I do if I can't get out of the condo, but it looks as if I'm heading in that direction.  If you haven't already visited me here, I think you're out of luck now, because i won't even be able to get to the airport to pick you up, let alone drive you around to visit all the wonderful sites in this grand city.  I've been knocked around so often in the past 10 years or so, this is just one more in the series. I have tried repeatedly to deal with these lemons, but I'm drowning in lemonade.

11/25/2012

WEEKLY UPDATE 11/25/2012

Buon Natale

I've eaten so much pasta lately, I think I'm becoming Italian.  It's easy, it's cheap, and it's so-o-o good  -- what's not to like? 

Thanksgiving was everything I hoped it would be, except for the Lions losing (and what a horrible, horrible games that was!) I had turkey, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole, all eaten in front of the tv as I watched the games. Dressed in my turkey pajamas, I just relaxed and enjoyed myself.

Thanksgiving dinner in front of the tv

After storing away all the thanksgiving décor, I got out my nutcracker collection. There are so many, it's hard to believe that I gave away more than half of what I had before I moved here. This year, instead of setting them on the kitchen bar, I lined them all up along the cupboards in the kitchen. I bought myself a new one this year when I was out shopping a couple of weeks ago. The Home Goods store had lots of Steinbach nutcrackers and I couldn't resist. All of the others each remind me of some place special I'd visited, or someone special.

the nutcracker collection

the newest addition is the red one in the center

11/4/2012

Weekly Update  1/4/2012

FRANKENSTORM

I guess this week was a little unusual because The Storm. I had always believed that the trade off I would make for the snow & ice in New York State would be the dire hurricanes in the South. I guess I had that wrong, as Savannah had gusty winds, lower temps, very high tides, and dangerous rip tides in the ocean. But no rain, no flooding, no power outages, certainly no snow - none of the horrific weather that the north got. Allen texted about 7:30 that he was sitting in the cold and dark, wondering how long he would be with out power, and listening to the wind howl outside. Because he lives in a year-round cottage on a small lake, he was also wondering if he would be flooded. I offered to text him quarterly updates of the MNF game, but he wanted to save his phone battery in case he was going to be without power for long time. Sarah & Emily had no school on Tuesday, and I think most of the schools in Monroe County were closed, but Rachel & Hannah were good to go. Robin reported that they had windy weather, but that was about it. Hope everyone who reads this update suffered little damage or distress.

I suppose there are some who were disappointed that the NYC marathon was canceled. Sharon was going to run, and was traveling to the city when they heard of the cancellation. On the other hand, I was upset because the fund raiser for disaster relief preempted Grimm. Thank goodness for On Demand, so I could watch on Saturday. The Rock N Roll marathon was held in Savannah on Saturday, so I guess anyone who really felt it was necessary to run for 26 miles could do that here, if not in NYC.

My greatest news of the week was that Jimmy Foust (I used to work at City Hall with his wife, Kathy, and she is one of the very few that I miss there) FINALLY got his liver transplant. He had waited and suffered for more than 7 years. So when I got this news, I was really happy for them all. He should be getting stronger all the time, and I know this will be a wonderful relief for Kathy.

My week continued as all my weeks do: I went to a book review -Freeman, by Leonard Pitts who will be at the Book Fest next February, a lecture at the Coastal Heritage Society on what Savannah was like during the War of 1812 - by the amazing local historian Hugh Golson, another lecture about Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey & the integration of baseball, my MOW and DH.

Halloween is totally different from when I used to get 300 beggars on Pebbleview Drive. No one goes door to door in the condo development. Actually, there are very few kids who live here. I had to go to Walmart because I have a cold and my Nyquil supply was depleted. While everyone else in there was buying candy, I walked out with a double pack of cold medicine. It didn't seem fair! Suzy tried to get a party going at the club house, and four of the younger residents and about seven of us older people showed up. I had to eat all my peanut butter cups myself - damn.

Saturday night I did something I've wanted to do since I moved here - Donna & I went to Club One to see The Lady Chablis. If you've read the book or seen the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, you know who I mean. Savannah's most famous drag queen does a show about 10 times a year at the local gay bar. She's very funny, very entertaining, and I should look that good! The other performers were all good, too, and we had a great time. It's not something I would do a lot, but it was fun.

I think it's time for me to stop watching the NFL on Sundays and stick to Call the Midwife or my dvd's of Downton Abbey.

10/28/2012

WEEKLY UPDATE 10/28/2012

On Monday, I had signed up for a lecture on disastrous hurricanes on the southern coast throughout history Very timely, since we expected Hurricane Sandy to arrive in the coming week. Some of the historic hurricanes - Hazel, Hugo, Floyd - which have caused much damage in the past, were discussed and photos were shown. Georgia, it seems, has been spared much of the destruction that other parts of the country have suffered, mostly Florida. And Sandy proved no different. We had some wind on Friday & Saturday, but it was more a refreshing breeze than a terrifying wind. We didn't get one drop of rain. I think Rochester is going to be more affected by the storm than we were. So, my candles, flashlights, and bottled water are safe in the closet to wait for another day.

Wednesday, I was invited to Donna's for lobster soup (she's from Maine) with Susan & Helen. The meal was wonderful, and the company was grand, as well. Donna can also make a fine pumpkin pie martini. ohhh...

Thursday, following my MOW deliveries, I drove out by the Mall to go to the Social Security office. I need much more information on Medicare than I already have, because I’m going to be forced to enroll next year. It's all so confusing - what plan, what cost, what's available - and I looked through some of the literature, but put it away for another time. Besides, might the election change things for me and thousands of other seniors? Who knows?

It's been two weeks since I’ve had to lead a tour at DH, so I was a little rusty. I told my first group that Isaiah Davenport came to Savannah from New England in 1809, which is an outright lie - he came in 1807. Do you think any of those tourists will report me to the Visitor Bureau as leading them astray? For the most part, however, it’s just like riding a bike; you don't forget.

Again this week-end is my turn to open and close the cemetery visitor center. It seems that I’m doing this more week-ends than I’m not doing it. As soon as I opened, and left the desk in the capable hands of another Historical Society volunteer, I went back tot he condo to pick up Donna. We drove out to an exclusive neighborhood on Skidaway Island because Suzy was participating in an art show there. Donna & I had gone last year, too, and we remember a wonderful wine tasting at the Village Grocery Store (eat your heart out Wegmans; Weggies could learn something from this place!). There was also a car show with mostly 'vettes (a 1956 model showed the original sticker price - less than $5,000 - and the “extras” - a 3-speed manual transmission and an AM radio), a library used book sale (in spite of repeating my mantra “no more books” I couldn’t resist and I bought 3 new books there), and the art show. The wine tasting was wonderful. I bought 2 bottles; Donna bought a case. But also included were tastings at the deli, and I don't mean little scraps of sliced turkey or american cheese. They offered chicken waldorf salad, fresh tomato sandwiches, chocolate bread pudding, asian noodles, crab dip, salmon spread, chili, wraps, and other wonderful treats. The samples were tiny, but there were so many of them, you could eat lunch there!

I had to get Donna back to her condo in the early afternoon, because I had a tour to give at Bonaventure. This was a group who had scheduled a special tour, and there were 4 “characters” in the cemetery who told the stories. I was involved as a guide who would fill in with other information as we walked between the performances. The tour was to take 2 hours, and I was really surprised that the rain held off until after we finished. It was probably because of my actions that the skies didn't open - I dragged my raincoat every step of the way, and it was a nuisance. But just like remembering to carry your phone with you, and that insures that you no one will call you, the raincoat & umbrella held the wet weather at bay. I like these tours, but am a little disappointed that they haven’t asked me to be at Little Gracie's tomb.

Sunday, after I closed the cemetery and was relaxing with the Gieants game, Donna stopped over. We watched the DVD's I'd borrowed from the library - the TV series Fury, the Story of a Horse & the Boy Who Loved Him. Oh, man, was that ever a long time ago!

I must be a southern girl now - I watched a college football game on Saturday. Georgia played Florida. That's a HUGE rivalry here, and I'd heard about The Game all week. I got back to the condo from Bonaventure just at the start of the second quarter. It was a sloppy sloppy game: 9 turnovers, 24 penalties for more than 200 yards. I'm gonna stick to watching the NFL, where the playing is professional.

And, another difference between Rochester & Savannah - I think I'm one of maybe 4 politically liberal people in this area (and one of those is “friend” on fb. Although we think the same, I'm really tired of the propoganda she posts there constantly). Coming from Cuomo country, this is totally different. The worst thing they can throw at a candiate for congress is to say he backs Obama's programs. Nothing else is relavent. Apparently that's enough for voters to turn him out on the streets. Only a little more than a week to go. I've DVR'd all my programs just so i can fast forward through the political ads.

No Buffalo Bills game this week. At least I can't complain about a loss. Ever wonder what I'll have to write at the end of the season?

WEEKLY UPDATE 10/21/2012

WEEKLY UPDATE 10/21/2012

This was a week of cult-cha for me. I feel I can drink tea with my pinky raised at any time, and I will fit right in.

On Friday night, I went to a Philharmonic Concert. It was Wonderful! The theme was American music, and they started with the Star Spangled Banner. It went on with An American in Paris, medleys from West Side Story & Porgy and Bess, and ended with an encore of Theme from the Magnificent Seven (better know as the Marlboro Man song). There was more, but those were the best ones.

Saturday night, I went to the ballet. It was Dracula the Ballet. Nothing says Halloween better than a nice ballet performance. Since pretty much my only experience with ballet involves sugar plum fairies and mouse king fantasies, this was a little strange for me.

Illustration 1: a really bad pix - taken from the cheap seats, way up high, on my ipod

The artwork that Hannah made for me was finally finished at the frame shop. I hung it next to the other original artwork (an oil painting of Durand Park in showing the wonderful fall colors by C Andrew Lloyd) I have in the condo. So now, I can feel as if I'm living in a gallery, to add to my high class posing.

Illustration 2: my personal art gallery

No Frankenweenie this week, just high brow.

I did finish making curtains for the beach room. I like that room because it has two windows, and most rooms in the condo only have one (although they are big windows). I had hoped that I might get a cross breeze in there when it's cool enough to have the windows open. But, what was happening was that the afternoon sunshine coming on both the south and west sides of the condo was making it quite warm in there. I found a bolt of the same blue fabric that I had used for the bed coverings when I was making those, and there was barely enough for tab curtains. So, I had that as a project. When I finished those, and the sundresses, I could put all the sewing stuff back in boxes in the closet, so order is restored, everything I back where it belongs, and I can have my familiar surroundings again. I've tried to add a photo of the sundresses. They look better on the hangers than they do on me, really.

Thursday evening was the annual meeting / dinner for the Bonaventure Historical Society. the speaker was excellent; he talked about The Book. Many of the names were changed to protect the innocent in the book, and the speaker had a slide show of who actually was who. No one I recognized as running my circle of friends, but it was interesting.

Illustration 3: at the dinner - does this photo make me look as if i've got a halo?

On Saturday, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, a marine science research institute near Savannah, had an open house. They have a small (believe me, if you've visited the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, this is NOTHING) that's open to the public, but the center I generally used by UGA for research. They had an open house, with some of the labs open (most interesting was the boat that they take out along the Atlantic Coast for 10 - 28 days at a time to check things like plant & fish life, water temperatures, changing depths, etc), and a wonderful lecture & tour of the history of the institute. The original plantation has been in existence since the 1700's when they tried to grow mulberry trees for a silk business, but that didn't work. It was most recently owned by the Roebling family, who earned their wealth in the mid 1800's when the patriarch was the engineer who invented the steel cables that made it possible to build suspension bridges, like the Brooklyn Bridge. We were able to go inside their family home, which is now used for research, and see some of the things that were here when this was a working black Angus cattle ranch. Very interesting. There was also a lecture on sea turtles, and you know that I have a special place in my heart for the loggerheads. So I enjoyed that very much.

Illustration 4: the new loggerhead

5. Illustration: the floating scientific laboratory

On the plus side - I didn't go to Coach's and therefore saved myself $20 in beer and wings. On the other hand - ONE POINT!!!! There weren't many games that I liked the final score on this week.

Massie school tours, MOW, lectures at the senior center - all the same old same old. I didn't have to go to DH this week, and it was really strange. all day long on Friday I kept thinking it was Saturday. Next week i'll be back on schedule.

WEEKLY UPDATE 10/14/2012

October 9 is a big day in Savannah history - the anniversary of the Siege of Savannah during the Revolutionary War. The British held the city for most of the war, and on October 9, 1779, the American patriot soldiers stormed the city to try to take it. They failed in the bloodiest hour of battle in the entire war, when over 1,000 were killed or wounded on both sides. And the British remained in control of the city. I've dragged myself out of bed for the past couple of years to join other history buffs at 7 am at the battle site for services and re-enactments. But, not this year. I probably would have, but my neighbor had asked that I give him a ride to the airport at 8:30, so I did that instead.

I went to the Green-Meldrim House Museum on Tuesday before my assignment at Massie School began. This was the finest house in the city at the time of the Civil War, and Mr. Green offered it to General Sherman as his union troops were on their march to the sea, hoping that if he liked Savannah enough, he wouldn't burn it like he had Atlanta. I've wanted to visit here many times, but it's always been closed when I went. This time was no exception, and there were workman doing some renovations around the entrance, and they told me the museum was closed. Well, maybe another day. But since I was downtown early for my volunteer assignment, I decided to treat myself to lunch at Clary's - another place I’ve always wanted to try but just haven't been done yet. Clary's is a sandwich shop that is mentioned frequently in the Book Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil. So, I had a nice club sandwich there before I bored tourists with my droning on and on about the history of Savannah at Massie school.

I don't know why I do this, but on Wednesday I went to see Frankenweenie. I think Tim Burton is scary, the things he comes up with, but I love his movies. It's a little embarrassing, however, to be an old woman going to these kiddie flicks. The movie wasn't the best I'd seen, but there were some really funny things that would have gone right over kids heads. Like, Good-Bye Kitty and the graphic of the hello kitty mechandise, but with crosses on the eyes on a headstone in the pet cemetery. I thought that was funny.

I had bought some fabric a week ago to make a couple of sundresses for myself. They would be more like bath robes than dresses - the days when I don't go out or have anything to do, I often just sit around until late afternoon when I take my shower and get cleaned up. Then I want to have something easy and comfy to slip into, so a cotton shift would work well. Unfortunately, I didn't buy enough material for one of the dresses, so went back this week after MOW to get another half yard. I sewed the dresses, but I'm not really pleased with how they turned out. Whatever. I will only be wearing them in the summer when I don't have to go out. I thought there was a concert at the Telfair on Thursday evening, but when I tried to find the particulars online, I didn't see the event. That worked out really well for Lisa & Dave, because theat meant I was able to meet them at the Rail for a pint - this is getting to be a habit - instead. A philharmonic concert or a bunch of inebriated college students singing Bye Bye Miss American Pie at the top of their lungs - good choices, Wilma.

I didn't have to give tours at DH this week, and I'm off next week, too. I'm afraid that once I find out how nice it is not to have to go, I may just tell them I'm done, but I'll have to see how I feel in two more weeks. So, Friday I spent running errands and sewing.

Donna arrived back in Savannah late Friday night, so we met for lunch on Saturday. It's so good to have her back here. We went downtown for a lunch - a burger for her, shrimp & grits for me - and then walked around on River Street for a while, just talking and getting caught up.

Sunday, I remembered that I was to give a tour at Bonaventure at 9 am, although I’d forgotten to write it on my calendar. It's getting so that if I don't write things down, they are lost to me forever. But I led a very interested and inquisitive group on a 2-hour walk through the cemetery. They had a lot of good questions, and many that I didn't know the answers to, but this is how I learn - finding answers. I went back to the condo to read the Sunday newspaper, and then had to return for a normal second-Sunday tour. This was interesting, too, and I got a lot of tips following the tour. I usually do not accept gratuities, but these tourists insisted, so I dropped all their money in the donation box at the visitor center to support the Bonaventure Historical Society. Since Coach's Corner is only a short distance away from the cemetery, and it was already 4 pm by the time I finished there, I decided to go watch the late games. The Bills were playing Arizona, and I didn't think there would be any hope. Surprise! an overtime win for them on the road! how cool is that? Sadly, I'd left the bar at halftime, so I didn't witness the win. I did see the Lions come from behind, and the Ravens beat the 'Boys (yes!!!) and the Browns get their first win of the season.

No photos this week. Maybe if I do something interesting next week, and if I remember to take my camera with me, I'll have something. Maybe if Jupiter aligns with Mars, that is.

WEEKLY UPDATE 10/7/2012

I tried to help at DH on Monday morning to do gift shop inventory. I don't think I was very helpful. I could hardly get back up after getting down on the floor to count small boxes on the bottom shelf in the storeroom, the print on the tally sheets was so small, I had trouble reading what it was I was looking for, and I continually lost count on some of the smaller items - pencils, patches, magnets. I think next time they ask for volunteers, I’ll suggest that older docents be exempt.

Also, on Monday was book club. The meeting began with Elizabeth, our librarian / leader, giving a report on her recent adventure in travels - Turkey. Just listening to her talk about some of the things she'd seen - the carpet showrooms, the mosques, Ephesus, the spice markets - brought so many memories back to me of my visit to Istanbul so many years ago. As far as the book reports went, I was certainly prepared, as I'd read 5 books that will have authors attending the Savannah Book Fest next February. Many of the books that others in the club had read sounded very interesting, and I want to read those, too.

I forgot that I am on the schedule for Massie school tours on Tuesdays now. It isn't a part of my routine like MOW or DH, yet, so I had planned to do nothing on Tuesday until I looked at my calendar and saw that I was to report at 1 pm. There were 2 tours on this afternoon - one was a couple visiting Savannah from Vancouver, BC, and the other was a class of 6 graduate students in historic preservation from SCAD. I'm sure they all knew more about some of the exhibits that we offer than I do, but I did the best I could. I've attached a photo of the students in in the city plan exhibit.

On Tuesday evening, there was another lecture about the War of 1812 athe the Visitor Center. I enjoy those lectures, but they're pretty boring if you're not really interested in history. This week it was about naval battles during the war, and the mechanics of sea warfare. yeah yeah yeah. But I did enjoy the history lesson.

Wednesday, following my late afternoon lectures in the series about Reconstruction in Savannah following the Civil War (which it doesn't seem to me to be much about that - it's about the war itself, and no mention of Savannah so far), I stopped at Charlie Teeple's shrimp shack for a low country boil to go. They have the biggest German Shepard dog I’ve ever seen on the porch there, and I don't know how I didn't see it until I was right there with it. I'm not really fond of dogs anyway, and this one was bigger than Mr Ed. He didn't bother me, and I got my shrimp dinner and left without being someone else's dinner.

As I was getting ready to go to MOW on Thursday, I thought about wearing my Buffalo Bills t-shirt. And then I thought, no, I'll wear it if the Bills go to the Super Bowl. Then I thought, no, if the Bills go to the Super Bowl, I'll EAT that shirt. There was a gallery opening, and I went to a lecture at the Telfair in the early evening. The paintings are all watercolors done by an artist who is trying to show workers who are toiling in jobs that will soon be gone - shrimping, newspaper deliverer, cotton mill workers - throughout the South. It was interesting to learn how she came on this project, and how she picked which faces to capture. Because of this lecture, however, I again had to miss meeting Dave & Lisa at the Rail Pub. As I was driving out of the city again, I decided to drive past the pub to see if they were sitting in the window, where they usually do. Sure enough, and Dave saw me and waved. So, I parked and went back to enjoy a pint with them. I commented that it's a good thing that I own a red Beetle, not a silver Toyota, because it makes me stand out a little on a crowded street.

The Friday tours at DH were pleasantly filled - not too big, but big enough so that I didn't feel that was wasting my time. (oh, com'on Wilma, you're retired! what is a waste of time any more???) I also attended the performance of A Deadly Pestilence, the yellow fever play, that talented people from the DH staff perform every October. Since I’d never seen it before, I thought it might be a good time to find out what it was all about.

Saturday was my turn to open and close up Bonaventure. I'm pulling double duty now, and doing this every other week-end it seems. My good friend (dare I call her a mentor?) has asked to be removed from the list because of her husband's failing health, so I’m picking up some slack. Of course, it only takes a few minutes, but it makes for 4 times every week-end that I have someplace to be at a certain time, and that's confining. Saturday, the first shift didn't show up, so I was there, at the desk, doing my best, in the clothes that I just threw on that had been on the floor all night, and I hadn't brushed my hair or showered, until a replacement came at 1 pm. Lovely - what a fine ambassador I am!

but, wait! It only got better. I went back Sunday morning to open everything up, and the volunteer was right on time at 10. So, after I got everything opened and set up, I left. But, I got a call about 1:30 that HIS replacement hadn't showed up, and he couldn't just leave, so could I come back to lock up? Well, I guess it didn't matter if I locked up at 2 o'clock or 4 o'clock, so I stayed again to sit at the desk. This is getting old really fast! I don't mind helping out, but I don't want this to be a full time job.

I did get my Halloween decor out of the box in the closet this week. So, now I’m not the only witch on display in my condo.

Did everyone watch the presidential debates? Did anyone learn anything? let me state my position: it doesn't matter which of them wins, because nothing will change for me at all. So, I just don't care.

I'm writing this before the Bills game is even over. But, it's over. Crap. Another week that I didn’t go to Coach's because I was embarrassed by my team. I also didn't get to Pirate Fest on Saturdday because I was too lazy, and I didn’t get to the Picnic in the Park on Sunday because I was tired of sitting at the Bonaventure visitor center all week-end, and just wanted to sit in my condo for a while. I have always liked the parade on Tybee for the annual Pirate Fest, and I've enjoyed the Picnic in the Park in the past, too. Maybe I’m becoming too much of a “local” now to want to go out and experience these annual events. or maybe I’m just too old and lazy.

WEEKLY UPDATE 9/30/2012

Oh, crap! it isn't easy getting old. on Monday this week, I went for Medicare counseling. I’m going to be forced to make the decisions about all that stuff in a short time. do I need Part A & Part B? Do I need drug coverage? Do I need supplemental? and what will all this cost me? Too many options! why isn't it simple? why isn't it as easy as you sign up, you pay into it, and you're covered? The counseling I had wasn't that helpful. I believe she was actually paid by the government to convince me that the more coverage I pay for, the better off I’ll be. And she certainly showed her government training with her ability to avoid answering questions. I'm just going to have read a lot more, and then hold my finger over the list of options while blindfolded and choose.

Tuesday I began my first day of duties as a docent at Massie School. It was a bout as boring as I thought it was going to be. I did, however, have a couple of tourists ask for a tour, which is more than I thought I would get. I think I did ok with that, and most of the questions they had, I could answer because I already know quite a bit about the history of Savannah, and the way the city was planned. It didn't seem very interesting though, and I don't know if this will last long.

Thursday there was a meeting of Savannah chapter of the Victorian Society, of which I am a member. The “meeting” was held at the Massie, school, so for the second time this week, I drove to Calhoun Square. I didn't remember to take my camera, and I meant to get some photos to add to this e-mail that didn't work out. Luckily, however, I can report that I did remember where I had parked the car.

I did my MOW and my tours at DH. But that was just about all I felt like doing. In fact, I didn't even open the door on either Saturday or Sunday. I decided not to go to Coach's to watch the Bills game. Last week I didn't go because I didn't think I would need to watch the Bills beat the Browns. And this week, I didn't think I'd need to see them lose to the Patriots. That turned out to be a wise choice.

So, it was really a do-nothing week. But I'm getting to enjoy doing nothing, and it's quite easy.

9/23/2012

Coping with my disappointment that Brian & Sharon have canceled their visit here next February was with my usual flair, I ate and shopped this week. The more I eat, the more I have to shop - because my clothes don't fit any more, but that's what I do. And I had great success with my shopping. I bought a TV and DVD player for the beach room. Now I have one more place in the condo to watch Downton Abbey, and I can sleep in there, too. I guess that's a win-win.

I called Monday morning, even before I purchased the new TV, to schedule an appointment to have Comcast come out set me up with the “box” that I need (a digital converter? they can't convert thru the cable???), but after waiting on hold for 20 minutes, I hung up. I needed to get to my already scheduled oil change, and I never realized that it would take so long, and then not even be able to talk to someone. Tuesday, I called Comcast again, with a little better luck. I was only on hold for 15 minutes this time, but thru all that I had to listen to all the wonderful & exciting things that comcast would do for me, like being able to get my DVR programs in any room, or get email on the TV screen. What's not mentioned, is what these things cost. When I finally was able to speak to a real person, who actually spoke with an accent I could recognize, I asked why I didn't get HD or extra channels that I pay for on all my ti’s. The answer is - wait for it - because I don't pay extra. I can pay for those rvices INTO my condo, but to get them in EVERY ROOM would be another $20 a month. hummmm. I wish I had a an alternative, but Comcast is the only cable provider here in Savannah, and I'm not able to have a dish because it would “look” unsightly from the outside of my unit. So, I'm stuck. The Comcast tech rep came out on Wednesday to hook me up with the cable connection to the new TV. Now I can watch TV in there, too, but only the basic channels, if I want to. And all this “service” is only $100 a month.

I went to a couple of interesting lectures this week. One was on Tuesday at the Visitors Center, sponsored by the Coastal Heritage Society. It was about the War of 1812 from a Canadian perspective. The speaker had some interesting insights, and learning about some of the battles from the view point of the other side is always intriguing. Also, he was a Canadian, who works for the parks commission there, and lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake. When he said that, all the memories of theater, b&b's, shopping, dining in that wonderful town came flooding back. I also attended a lecture at the Senior Center about Savannah in the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. This will be a 9-week series, so we only did background during the first talk.

There was a showing of Gone With the Wind at the Lucas Theater on Friday evening. Lisa wanted to go, so I joined her there. It was different to see a classic movie like that on the big screen, not on my tv. The ending hadn't changed: Scarlet was still going to think about it tomorrow.

Saturday I needed to go to Bonaventure because this was my week-end to open and close the visitor center. I also was scheduled for the first shift at the desk, to answer questions and hand out maps. Well, the replacement volunteer never showed up at 1 pm, so I stayed for the whole day. It hardly matters as I have nothing else to do anyway. The Ladies Dining Out group met that evening at an Italian restaurant downtown. The food was good, the company was great. We haven't been together in quite a while, and the ladies who escape to the north were back (except for Donna - I miss her a lot). So it was nice to be together again.

Sunday morning, it was back to Bonaventure to unlock that gatehouse, but I didn't have to stay today. I bought a morning newspaper on the way back to the condo, and read that while waiting for the early games to begin. I decided not to go to coach's this week - after all, the Bills were playing the Browns, so what was the point of watching that blow out? When I left to go back and lock up, all the games were in the 4th quarter and most were pretty much decided. I didn't think I would miss much. When I arrived at the visitor center, and turned on my ipod to check the scores, the Lions had come from behind to tie the game, the Chiefs were tied in their game with the Saints, the 'Fins & Jets were tied, and the Colts had just missed a field goal to hand the game to the Jags. And there I sat - counting the money from the donation box, without a tv to watch the OT of the games, and wishing I was someplace else.

One of my aunts in Rochester unexpectently died this week. My mother's brother's wife. Most people I left behind have ignored me totally, but this aunt wrote to me occasionally and sent me holiday greetings since I've moved. That has meant a lot to me. Rest in Peace, Aunt Lil.