12/30/2013

weekly update 12/30/2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I had purchased a ticket a while ago for the Dickens Walk in the historic district, but Christmas Eve day had a forecast of rain all day long. It actually started out sunny and nice, but showers began in the afternoon, and that didn't bode well for a walking tour in the evening. I'd already spent the money, so I decided to chance it. And luckily, it did not rain at all. A group of about 15 were lead on a tour in the early evening and were told of some customs in Victorians times, some stories of the Yankee occupation during the Christmas season in 1864 (when General Sherman delivered the city of Savannah to President Lincoln as a Christmas gift), and the singing of some carols as we wandered the streets. We ended the tour with mincemeat pies and smoking bishop punch (sherry). It turned out to be a very nice evening for a walk along Jones street where many lovely older townhomes are decorated tastefully as the temps were in the low 70's. 

caroling with the group leaders

one of the wonderfully decorated homes on Jones Street

Suzy had invited me over to share a glass of wine after the tour was over. They have a tree in their condo, and since I don't, it was very nice to have some treats in the glow of their

decorations. Anne and Andrew Nedd also joined us, so we had a wonderful little holiday celebration.

Bob, Suzy, Andrew & Anne

 

Christmas Eve, I had planned to do nothing, and that's what I did. I put on my Rudolph pajamas, and watched Hallmark movies for most of the day. Suzy came over for a visit in the afternoon. Shortly after she left, there was another knock at my door. The little boys who live in the condo above me had come down to give me a plate of cookies! That was so sweet of them to do that! It made a huge difference in my attitude for the rest of the holiday. I had made blueberry bread pudding and a batch of grapefruits cosmopolitans to enjoy in the evening. That's just health food - all that fruit.

me, with my "tree", my blueberry bread pudding and my grapefruit cocktail

 

Audrey had no lights to get her into the holiday spirit, but I did put the packages under her for make a very special Christmas tree for myself. 

 

I switched with another volunteer at DH and gave tours on Thursday instead of Friday. It was surprisingly crowded and busy. Apparently there are more tourists in town during the Christmas/New Year's week that I thought there would be. Since I was already out, I went to the Super Walmart to look for post-holiday sales, but didn't find anything - they already had their Valentine stuff out!

Friday was a do-nothing day. Another problem with my phone. Remember when you would have an option of seeing phone calls you'd missed? It's gone now. I liked that because I could tell the time when someone had called, or I would have a record for a call back number. Now my “recent” folder has only the calls I’ve made, not any that came in. I don't like this, but I'm also old enough to remember when there was no answering machine, or caller ID. If you weren't home or weren't able to get to the phone, the caller would just have to try again later. And you would pick up every time it rang, even if it was a sales call, because there was no way to screen calls. I guess I'll pretend I'm still in the 1970's with my 2013 phone. When will my 2-year contract be up? And can I sue for breach of contract if features just disappear?

Saturday I was scheduled for desk duties at BC. It was awful. As with DH, it was crowded, and there seemed to be a lot of people coming to visit. As I was really busy handing out maps and answering questions, one lady demanded to know where the service for someone was being held at Forest Lawn (the cemetery that next to Bonaventure). I had no idea, and although I tried to help, she wanted to know why I didn't know what services were being held, why the City Cemetery Department doesn't operate on week-ends, and why no one would be there to assist her finding a service when she didn't have any details of it herself. Then, a car was broken into and a purse stolen in the parking lot. Again, as a volunteer with the historical society, I have no power to do anything about this. The police were called, a report was filed, and I sympathized, but that was the best I could offer. I cautioned every visitor to carefully lock cars and hide valuables, trying not to without alarm them. My 1 pm replacement couldn't come fast enough!

Sunday, the final loss of the year was not unexpected. Although the Bills games was on tv locally, I still went to Coach's for one last Sunday afternoon of all the games at once. I'm going to miss my Miller Lite and wings until I go back next September.

until next year...

 

I hope everyone has a safe New Year's Eve, and a wonderful and happy 2014.