11/2/2014

weekly update 11/2/2014

This week started off very very early. Lisa and I went to the Amtrak Station to meet Donna on her return to Savannah. I was up at 5:45 am to drive to the station to greet Donna as she got off the train. It was really wonderful to be with my “besties” again, but I gotta tell ya - I went right home and went back to bed. Later that day I went to a memorial service for a friend from BC who died last week. Chuck St Arnaud was an army lifer, and the tribute involved a lot of military tradition. It was interesting. And in the evening, I gathered with other residents here at the condo clubhouse to watch Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. While that's one of my all-time favorites, I don't think it was appreciated as much by the others.

Tuesday, Suzy and I visited our neighbor, Mike, in the hospital. He had driven himself there last Friday when he wasn't feeling “quite right” and ended up in surgery for 5 bypasses! His car was still in the hospital parking lot, and I think it was a relief to him to have Suzy drive it back to Mercer Point. I think Mike looked good, but tired. It was such a shock to get the text from him to say he had the surgery. (Note to Suzy: please don't text me “I could go at any time now” when you're ready to drive with me someplace - particularly the hospital; my imagination computes a different meaning to that phrase). On Thursday, when I got back from my evening out, I noticed that the lights were on in his condo, so I knocked on the door. They had released him that afternoon, so now Mike is home again, recovering.

Wednesday, I went to Donna's. I had saved all the Southern Living, Southern Lady and other magazines that I subscribe to for her while she was in Maine all summer, and there was a big pile in her living room when she returned. I had put some notes in some of the mags, and one was for a recipe for chicken and rice that I thought sounded really good. She invited me over to make the casserole, and it really was good! We drank a lot of wine, ate a lot of chicken, and talked a lot about our summers. It's so good to have her back!

Speaking of enjoying friends I haven's seen all summer, Thursday found me at The Rail with Lisa and Dave. Donna joined us, too, and after our traditional Guinness, we all went to Juarez for Mexican food. Earlier that day, I'd been with the Lunch Bunch, and we went to the German Bier Garten since October Fest will be ending soon. So, I had an international diet on Thursday.

Friday, of course, I had to be at DH. On one tour, I couldn't decide if that was a couple were there in costume, but I think all the body piercings and tattoos were not part of the get up, but for real. It's not often that we have tourists like that on the tour - I dunno, maybe no interest in architecture or history? - but for the most part we get retirees who are traveling. After I did my duty there, I went back to he condo to get ready for Sylvia's party. When she first invited me, I thought I would go as a Buffalo Bills fan, with a t-shirt and perhaps one of my stuffed toys. But I had sewn a costume a long time ago in case I am ever asked to be a “performer” at BC. I've never been asked (the story they give me is that I'm such a great tour guide, they need me to get the visitors from site to site on those rare days when we have the costumed actors). I've never used the widow's clothes, so I thought this might be my chance. I painted my face and put on the long black outfit. Surprisingly, Charles asked if the mourning clothes actually were my Bills costume!

the scary party-goers

and the scariest of all

On Saturday, as soon as I got up, I had to put all the Halloween stuff back in the closet because, of course, it was no longer Halloween, and I can't stand to have things OUT OF ORDER. So back it all went and I got out the Thanksgiving décor. I forget how amusing I think that inflatable roast turkey looks on my dining room table.

Sunday, I was at the cemetery in plenty of time to open up, since I was an hour off. My phone had the time right, but my clocks were all an hour ahead. I had a quiet day, because I didn't go to Coach's. Neither the Bills nor the Lions were playing, so I had nothing to watch. It was cold for most of the day, in fact, when I first check my weather app when I woke up, it was 1 degree colder in Savannah than either Rochester or Niverville. That's cold, but it won't last here.