11/5/2017

Weekly Update 11/5/2017

This was the scary week of Halloween. I (again this year) did not get any little beggars at my door. Who’s gonna eat all those M&Ms and Nutter Butters? Again, I dressed up as a Buffalo bills fan, which isn’t that hard for me to do. But what was worse is that Charles and Sylvia dressed Rupert, their spaniel, as a NE Patriot player. Not funny! 

Rupert, dressed up for halloween

me, ready to give out treats

This was the week of Anna Colquitt Hunter. She was one of the Seven Ladies who founded the Historic Savannah foundation in 1955, and saved the Davenport House from demolition. I have talked about these ladies on my tours for so many years, they almost don’t seem real any longer, but merely historic figures. A new book has just been written about the force behind the Seven Ladies, Mrs. Hunter, and an opera was written about her as well. There was a book signing at DH on Monday, and Kay and I went to the opera, also at DH, on Friday. She is much more real to me now.

Louise Staman, author of Restoring Lost times:Savannah's Anna Colquitt Hunter

the opera in the drawing room at DH

A quick update on my energy costs. Last spring, I purchased sun-blocking drapes for the west facing windows in my condo in an effort to reduce some of my high air conditioning bills. I calculated the costs of 2017 against 2016, and found that last year I’d spent $1,105 for the hottest months, and this year my total was $420. Well, that was worth it!

I had two interesting lectures at TLC this week. On Tuesday, I attended the first of a 3-week course about the Spanish Civil War. I think it’s confusing, and I’ve never had a clear understanding about what it was. After the first talk, I still don’t have any idea. On Wednesday, I went to one of the noon-time programs about liquor sales in grocery stores in Savannah in the 1850s. It wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, but it was interesting.

I had problems with my laptop. It would not turn on. Since I’m not very tech savvy, and since my techie moved to Wales, I was stumped. Through some google searches, I discovered that the problem may be solved by “popping” the battery out and putting it back in again. Easy for you to say! I followed the youtube instructions which required me to take all the screws out of the back of the laptop, and carefully lift the plastic cover. When the plastic cover refused to “carefully” be lifted, I put the screw back in, packed everything up, and went to the repair shop. He took the narrow battery off the back in a matter of seconds, put it back, and I was cured. But, I left it there anyway for a virus check and clean up.

When I went back the next day to pick it up, I decided to walk on the Robert McCorkle Bike Path on Wilmington Island. I do not like to walk for exercise, and try to find ways to make it more interesting. Well, I couldn’t find the trail, and there was no place to park near the wide walkway along the road. I left my car at the nearby church, hoping it would be safe there, and trying to find the trail on foot. I did see one path, it went into the woods, and there was no one else walking there – no thanks. I continued on along the road way. The sidewalk ended where there was utility construction going on, and I was forced into the road; I didn’t like that. I kept looking for a way to get back to the car without having to go past the ditch digging, but apparently Wilmington Island has a big pond in the middle of it, and a creek that runs right down the center of the island – unless I wanted to swim, I’d have go around that. I kept going, and used my phone map to get an idea of where I was going (that’s how I discovered that nasty pond / creek thing). I finally made my way to the Kroger, and bypassed (with great effort) Domino’s Pizza. I also found that my google maps on the phone show not only where I am, but also where I’d parked the car. That’s good to know.

Saturday, I went to see Charles in a “play” with the Island Comedy Players. It wasn’t really a play, but more of a reading. There were no scenes, no costumes, no dialogue committed to memory. Back in the days before TV and movies, people who did not have a theater nearby could still hear a good comedy or drama on the radio. The parts were read by actors who would create the characters purely with their voices and the playwrights’ words. So at this performance, the actors sat on the stage and read from “You know I Can’t Hear You When The Water’s Running”, “You Can’t Take It With You” and others. I enjoyed it very much.

Charles and his fellow actors at the reading

The Bills didn’t play Sunday – they actually didn’t play Thursday, either; the Jets did, but the Bills didn’t. So I didn’t have to go to Coach’s. Instead, June and I went to a Christmas Craft show.And Donna had a little get together at her condo in the evening that was very nice.

guests, having a good time at donna's condo