12/29/2019

Weekly Update 12/29/2019

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! Thanks to all who sent cards and greetings. I did not, so thank you so much to all who remembered me.

I did drive around the neighborhood a bit in search of festive light displays. It was brief, and a bit disappointing. I remember better decorations in past years. And, somehow it’s not the same with lights on palm trees and no snow on the ground – not that I’m complaining.

For Christmas Day, I was invited to Barbara’s condo for a turkey dinner. It was very nice. She had invited two other guests, but they had to eat and run to be at other engagements. I stayed for a while and visited. Then I went back to her place in the evening to play Rummikub with her and June. After all, it was Wednesday, and that’s what I do on Wednesdays. The day was quiet for me, but holidays are generally meaningless, so it didn’t matter.

I rarely see more than two movies in a year, but I saw two movies this week. I went with Connie to see Knives Out. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It was not as much of a shoot-’em-up, blood-and-guts murder mystery that I had expected, and more an Agatha Christie-like twisty, red herring thriller with a surprise ending. I loved it. I also went out to the Tybee Post Theater to see Ford vs Ferrari, which I also enjoyed. I wasn’t the James Garner 1966 movie that I really liked from my youth, but this was more history, so of course I would enjoy that.

During the month of December, DH offers candlelight tours in the evenings. So, in addition to my weekly Friday tours (which were very crowded), I did tours on Monday and Tuesday evenings, too. These tours are a little shorter, and I only have to guide visitors on the living level. I also focus more on telling about holiday traditions in the 1820s rather than on the house or the Davenport family. It is a good way to spread holiday cheer without having to sing loud for everyone to hear.

Friday, after DH, Kay and I went to Churchill’s instead of the normal The 90 for drinks. And, in a stunning turn of events, we both got the Brussels Sprouts appetizer. We’d both thought it was so good when we were there last week, we ordered it again.  The evening was warm and sunny, and we sat outside on the rooftop patio with our white wine and sprouts.  

Saturday, I went out for coffee in the morning with Kathie who lives in MP. Then I was at the cemetery in the afternoon. It was very busy there, too. I guess there are a lot of people visiting relatives or friends in Savannah for the holidays who like to do some touring at places like BC and DH. We will be coming up on the slow time of the year in January, so it was nice to be busy this week. In the evening, I watched some college football – one blow out and one very exciting game. I needed to prepare myself for the final week of the NFL season.

Sunday was my last visit to Coach’s Corner for another year. I went for the 1 pm games, although there weren’t as many playoff implications as the 4:30 games. I knew Buffalo wouldn’t win, and they didn’t play any starters. The best part of the game was watching the icy rain in western NY. I also knew the Cheaters would win, so imagine my surprise and delight when Miami stepped up. It’s very unusual for me to cheer for the Dolphins, but I loved this game! Merry Christmas to me!

12/22/2109

Weekly Update 12/22/2019

What a lovely week with Lisa!

First thing Monday morning, we picked up Kay and Connie and drove to Charleston SC for a few days. Kay, Lisa and I stayed at a hotel. When Connie learned of our plans, she wanted to join us to use a free B&B weekend she had that was expiring at the end of the year. Monday the weather was sunny and warm; Tuesday, it rained, but was still warm; Wednesday, it turned quite cold. We did a bit of sight-seeing, a little shopping, but mostly we ate and drank.

The Francis Marion Hotel, where Kay, Lisa and I stayed

22 Charlotte, the B&B where Connie stayed

Connie in her room

On Monday, because the weather was so lovely, we ate at a roof top restaurant for lunch. Then we took a horse drawn carriage ride in the historic area of Charleston. That was interesting, and we got ideas for other places to visit from the tour. We had seen a bar near the horse carriage rides that was a converted church, so we went back there for Happy Hour. Dinner that evening was at a burger place. Connie’s B&B was only a few blocks from our hotel, so we walked her back there, and then went to our hotel.

lunch on the rooftop

our carriage ride

the bar at 5 Church

One of the things we’d heard about on the carriage ride was the Calhoun Mansion. I thought I had been to every house museum in Charleston on all the trips I’d taken there, but I was mistaken; I’d never visited here. It was amazing! The owner is retired and lives in the house, but it’s a huge mansion and filled with Victorian artifacts collected from all around the world. Each room was more impressive than the one before. As we were leaving, a man was lighting the gas lamps along the front walkway. I went over to him and asked if he was the lamplighter, or the owner. He smiled and said he was lighting the lamps, so what did I think his job was. That wasn’t really an answer, but it led me to understand that he was a gardener or groundskeeper of some sort. When we googled it later, we found out that he WAS the owner. I made quite to fool of myself, saying how much we loved the house and we were all impressed by the collection and I asked him to please tell the owner how much we enjoyed it all. Lisa, Connie and Kay all thought it was funny; I was embarrassed. We did some shopping on King Street and at City Market in the afternoon. We went back to Henry’s, the place where we’d had lunch the day before, and had drinks, and then it started to rain. It wasn’t raining hard, so we walked to Fleet Landing for dinner. By then we were all pretty tired. We went to Connie’s B&B and sat on her porch and chatted for a while, then walked back to our hotel for the last night in Charleston.

the Calhoun Mansion

shopping in City Market

There was a wonderful advantage to having Connie stay at the B&B – the innkeeper invited us all to enjoy breakfast each morning. The Francis Marion Hotel did not have a breakfast, so we took advantage of the offer. The first morning we had fluffy pancakes with fresh fruit and sausage and the next morning we were treated to grits, fried egg on a crab cake, bacon and toasted croissants.

Thursday, we went back to toward the battery. The carriage guide had also told us about an interesting tombstone at the St Philips Church graveyard that we wanted to see. No one had to twist my arm to go to a cemetery! It was a skeleton with an hour glass for a pillow – time goes quickly.

We stopped at one more bar in Charleston for Bloody Marys before driving back to Savannah. Lisa and I had a lot of eggnog at the condo, but Bloody Marys were very good, too.

Thursday, Kay had to go back to work and Connie was needed to babysit. Lisa and I had made plans with Donna to go out for breakfast and then to see the gingerbread houses at the Westin. This is the 19^th year for the gingerbread competition. We’ve felt it has not been as good in the past several years, but this year, it was just as wonderful as when we first went many years ago. You can tell the difference between the ones made by professional pastry chefs, and those made by classrooms or girl scout troops. They all do better than I could, though.

That evening, we met Kay and Anne Nedd at The Rail for a Guinness, and then walked across City market to the Little Duck Diner. Lisa’s son, Keenan, met us, too. Bless his little heart for spending time with all us old women, just so he could be with his mom.

Friday, Lisa’s last day, we met Connie and Suzy at B Mathews for lunch. And then Kay, Lisa and I went to Churchill’s for a final meal with the Besties. What was most amazing was, we all LOVED the Brussels Sprouts! We got them as an appetizer to share, and they were so good, we ordered more. The bangers and mash, cottage pie, and Guinness meatloaf were all good, but the Brussels Sprouts were to die for. I think we ate enough (and drank enough, too) while Lisa was here. It’s going to be hard to get back to reality.

We were up early Saturday, as Lisa wanted to get back to Florida to spend a few more days with her dad there before returning to UK. I missed her terribly as soon as her car was out of sight. But, back to my life – I went to open BC in the morning. Then I drove out to Fort Pulaski because they were having special programs for the holidays. I walked on the trail to see Cockspur Lighthouse, listened to two very good singers who played and sang carols and songs from the Civil War era, and heard a lecture on Christmases during the War.

The Bills played the Patriots in the afternoon. My downstairs neighbor, Mike (from Massachusetts) didn’t get the game on his tv because it was broadcast on the NFL network and he only has basic cable. I tried to get out of inviting him up to watch with me, but I know he wanted to see the game. So we watched together. I warned him ahead of time not to piss me off. I was sure Buffalo wouldn’t win, and they didn’t, but it was a good game, and the Bills can be proud of how well they played against the New England Cheaters.

Sunday it was cold and rained all day. I stayed in to eat, watch more football, and do nothing. I’m good at that.  

  

12/15/2019

Weekly Update 12/15/2019

I’ve been hitting the eggnog. And as if it isn’t bad enough itself, I have been adding peach schnapps, and cream to the bottled eggnog. It’s great! Since my holiday entertaining is over, and my packages are out for delivery, and I’m not doing cards this year, I sit around in my nutcracker boxer shorts, drink eggnog and watch holiday movies on tv. This is how I celebrate, and I like it.

On Wednesday this week, Barbara hosted a “white elephant” Christmas gift exchange. It was really nice. She had drinks, snacks and sweets, and we all took one or two wrapped items that we don’t use or want any longer, and exchanged them for some other cast offs from someone else. I suspect that some people bought new gifts, but not me: I gave away a Christmas bear and some dish towels. I got a bottle of wine and a bracelet. It was fun, and the people who were there were all good friends.

Thursday evening, I went to a concert at the high school across the street. Since they’ve installed a new sign in from of the school last fall, I’ve been able to see upcoming events like this concert and the musical I went to a couple of weeks ago. It’s been years since I’ve been to a band concert at a school, and I remember when Allen and Brian were performing. The freshman brass band at this concert was awful – just as I remember – but the more experienced students were actually quite good. It was the Winter Concert, as you can no longer call it a Christmas, or even a Holiday, concert. It was a nice way for me to spend an evening.  

Friday, after DH, I went to The 90. It was the annual “regular customer” appreciation holiday buffet. Kay and I, and lots of people we know, are regulars there, so we were invited. The buffet was wonderful, and it was a fun holiday gathering.

my favorite bartender, Martha

Lisa arrived Saturday morning from Florida, where she had spent some time with her dad. It was so-o-o good to see her. We met Kay for a drink at The Rail, and then dinner at Tequila Town. I wanted to see The Messiah, which was being performed at the Methodist church. Kay and Lisa were a little less enthusiastic, but humored me, and we went to listen to that in the evening. I thought it was wonderful!  And after they were at the concert, I think they were glad that we had gone.  Everything about it was magnificent – the soloists, the accompanists, the choir. I’m so glad I had a chance to see it.

Wesley Monumental Methodist Church 

Sunday, Lisa and I spent a lot of time walking around downtown Savannah. We walked from Forsyth Park up to the River, where we enjoyed Bloody Marys while people watching on River Street. We ate very good warm chicken and mushroom sandwiches at Goosefeathers. We listened to music for a while at City Market. It was a duo of two old guys, singing 70s tunes – what’s not to like. Then we went home to rest our feet for a while. We changed into Buffalo Bills t-shirts and went to Coach’s. It seemed very strange to not have a crowd. Coach’s is a Steelers bar, but Pittsburgh fans were missing, and there were very few people there to watch the game. But I’m really glad Lisa and I went!  Like really really glad!  What an exciting win.

every screen at Coach's showed the Bills Steelers game

Go Bills!

12/8/2019

Weekly Update 12/8/2019

Monday was library book club. It was a fun meeting because it had been decided that members would wrap a book from their book shelves to exchange. That was really quite interesting. As each package was unwrapped, we would hear a little about the book and why the owner had enjoyed it. I wrapped up one of the copies of A Redbird Christmas that I have, and told that I read it every December because it’s such an easy read during the stressful holidays and it’s a feel-good story, with humor and a great ending. I got a Danielle Steel, Accidental Heroes. This is not an author that our book club generally would read, but the person who gave it said it was a good story, not the romance that we all know Danielle Steel is capable of. I’m reading it now, and I have to admit, I’m enjoying it.

Thursday, Barbara came over to help me bake cookies for the breakfast on Saturday. I was up early and made the gingerbread boys before she came over. I’d already mixed the dough for the ribbon cookies, and we only needed to slice and bake those. We made the butter cookies with the chocolate centers. And after she left, I make the peanut butter bon bons that I haven’t made in decades, and dipped them in the chocolate. I didn’t make cut outs, but I did buy some at the Publix; I just couldn’t face all that fussing. I took a few of the them to the BHS Board meeting that evening, and everyone pronounced them wonderful.

Friday, before going to DH in the afternoon, I’d been invited to Connie’s house for lunch. Helen and Denise were there as well, and it was really nice to have a couple of hours visiting and relaxing.

Everything else this week was about The Breakfast. The shopping, the baking, the cooking, the cleaning, the organizing. I don’t know why I do this every year, and this very well may be the last time. This is the only time all year that I entertain, so I probably should continue the tradition. But right now I’m thinking it’s over. I didn’t get any pictures of all the casseroles, quiches, fruit salad, bagels, muffins, breads, and desserts that I made. Everything went well on Saturday, and many people bought food to share or another gift; I have a lot of poinsettia plants now. But there was way too much food, and I’m going to have to eat all the left overs this week. I finished the mimosas Saturday night watching the college games.  

Sunday, since it was the Second Sunday of the month, I was scheduled to do a tour at BC. But when they checked about my availability at the Board meeting Thursday, I begged off because I really wanted to see the Ravens game. They all know what a huge Bills fan I am (some of them texted to me on Thanksgiving because they knew how excited I would be about that win), and they found a sub for me. So I went to Coach’s. Just like the Cowboys game, I did not expect to win this one. This time I was right. But I was comforted that New England lost, too.

The DH holiday gathering was also on Sunday. I went there for a short time in the evening. I didn’t stay long; I spent too much time eating this weekend to want to be at another party, eating more goodies. I went home again for more NFL.  

12/1/2109

Weekly Update 12/1/2019

Thanksgiving at Barbara’s was very nice! And no one left hungry! She made the turnkey and stuffing (and some roasted vegies because, well, she’s Barbara). My contribution was green bean casserole and home made bread and butter. When I went to my recipe box on Tuesday to make sure I had all the ingredients for the bread, I couldn’t find the recipe. How could I not have saved that one! I haven’t made bread in probably 20 years or more, but I made it so often when I was a contented housewife (really???) that most of it came back to me. I also found a similar recipe on allrecipes.com, and it turned out fine. I made the butter by shaking heavy cream until it turned solid, and then added some salt. Now, I had buttermilk. And I’m a southerner, so I made fried chicken on the weekend. That was tasty. I was the only one who ate my casserole, so I brought it all back home and ate every last bite in the following days. Its the holidays – let the eating begin!

my rolls, butter and casserole

chef Barbara and the turkey

check out the nice turkey / football leggings

But the very best part of Thanksgiving was the game! Barbara had kindly planned her meal for early in the day, so I could be back in front of my own tv for the kickoff. I had no expectations that the Bills would win, and the ‘Boys scored on their first drive, which added to my belief that it would be a long game. But that was it. The rest of the game was owned by the Bills. The defense rocked, the offense looks better with the decreased turnovers, and the kicker was, well, not so good, but it didn’t matter. That euphoria stayed with me for days!  

My usual Friday at DH was canceled because the high school docents take over on Thanksgiving weekend. Instead, I went to see Mr Rogers Neighborhood with Jane, June and Tom. It was ok, but I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t really about Mr Rogers, but rather about the writer who was doing a magazine article. After that, Jane and I went downtown for the annual tree lighting ceremony. It was supposed to be at 7 pm, but the tree was dark until about 7:40. We endured every dance school in Savannah with a display of their steps, downtown business leaders speeches to extol the virtues of shopping on Broughton Street, the mayor giving his two cents, and even a showing of hands to see how many out-of-towners were there. There were probably several hundred people altogether, and we all started to chant “light the tree” as children (and a few adults – myself included) were getting restless. But they finally flicked the switch and holiday spirit filled the air. Jane and I then went to The 90 for other spirits.  

I got out the nutcrackers and set them all up again. I like to take time to get them all out of the boxes and display them. I think of each person who gave me one of them, and each place I’ve visited where I purchased one for a souvenir. This year, the addition is a Mardi Gras one that I bought in New Orleans last March.

I went for a walk at Daffin Park on Sunday morning. Rain was in the forecast, but not until mid-afternoon. I decided to chance it. The Lions Club set up a Christmas tree lot in the park each year, and when I drove past Friday night on my way back home, it was full. When I walked at Daffin on Saturday morning, it seemed to be about half full. When I was there Sunday morning, it was empty. Wait a minute! It’s December FIRST, and the live trees are already all sold and drying out in people’s living rooms across Savannah? How can that be? Anyway, I digress. As I was about half way around the first lap of the park, the wind came up and it started to rain. The wind knocked a large branch off a tree just as I was under it, and it missed me by inches. I would have been injured if it had hit my head. It was really windy and the rain was really coming down in big drops. I started to run to my car. Now, it’s been decades since I’ve run anyplace, but I trotted as best I could, and I was still soaked by the time I got back to the car. I don’t know if walking is worth the risk anymore. I didn’t go out for the rest of the day.  

the empty tree lot and the deceptive blue skies in the distance

11/24/2019

Weekly Update 11/24/2019

Happy Thanksgiving!

on my dining room table

The only time of the year when I miss being in New York State is in October when the leaves are lovely in the finger Lakes and the Hudson Valley. But, walking through Forsyth Park this week, I saw this lovely tree. It gave me a brief glimpse of what I’m missing. But of course, there’s no Spanish moss up north.

you can't see the Spanish moss but it is there on this tree

I attended a lecture at CH and was on mid-century ranch houses. It’s an interesting architectural style that was prolific in America after WWII as suburbs boomed. And it’s a style that has been rather overlooked. I also attended the opening of gallery collection of photographs collected by W W Law, the leader of the NAACP in Savannah in the early 1960s. The opening included an interview of Otis Johnson, former Savannah mayor and activist. The interview was conducted by my friend, city archivist Luciana Spracher.    

On Friday, Kay, Jane, Barbara and I went to see Elf the Musical at the Savannah Theater. It was fabulous! It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but this already has me in the Christmas spirit (well, as much as I’ll ever be in the holiday spirit, which usually passes me by, but I felt good after seeing this show). The actor who was Buddy was as much fun and as entertaining as Will Farrell was. We all enjoyed it. 

Saturday, I was really busy. After opening BC, I went to visit a friend at Savannah Commons, an assisted living community. Judy makes jewelry, and her facility was having a craft sale. Some of the things were really cute, but I have TOO MUCH STUFF, so didn't buy anything. It was good to chat with her for a while, something I don’t do enough. From there I went downtown to the Massie School. It is one of my favorite museums in Savannah, and they were having an opening of a Native American exhibit. I heard a talk about Tomochichi, the Yamacaw chief who was helpful to James Oglethorpe when Savannah was first settled. I didn’t realize that they were also having a gingerbread house display. There were not many houses entered, but they were delightful. Following that display, I went to my friend Kathryn’s house for a gingerbread boy and girl baking party. She made all the dough and cut the cookies out, and we just needed to decorate. And finally, I went to the SCT to see A Year with Frog and Toad. I used to read that book with Allen when he was little, so I was interested in seeing the musical. I was exhausted by the time I got home to watch the UGA game.

there is a house in the vicotrian District in Savannah that is called The Gingerbread House.  It looks like this

Kathryn in her kitchen

And Sunday, of course, I was back at coach’s for the early games. Go Bills!

11/17/2019

Weekly Update 11/17/2019

It’s been cold everywhere this week, but I feel it more now that I’m a Southerner. I did get out to walk a couple of times, but it turned rainy along with the cold by the weekend, so I didn’t even do that.

I met Jane Monday morning before the weather turned bad. It was the holiday and we went to Skidaway State Park to walk. We went someplace a little different, and we went later than we usually do, but this worked out really well. Because, there was a man there from the Savannah Astronomy Club, and he’s set up a few telescopes and was watching Mercury as it’s path crossed between the sun and the earth. He allowed us to take a look, and it was really fascinating. Not only did we see Mercury, but he also pointed out to us a huge sun flare (it didn’t look huge, but was probably many miles as it rose from the edge of the sun). That was a nice bonus to walking!

it looked a little like this, but this is a photo I got off the web. The planet that I saw was smaller, but it was still very interesting

There was a Victorian Society lecture on Tuesday that I went to. It was presented by someone I was familiar with, Jonathan Stalcup.  He gives architecture tours in Savannah, but have never had a chance to hear him speak. It was great. There were two lectures on Thursday – one at the Jepson Art Center, and one at the Georgia Historical Society. It was cold and raining and dark, and I couldn’t decide which to attend. So I stayed home.

The annual HOA meeting was Wednesday evening. I don’t care any more about listening to the management company and the Board members congratulate themselves on a fine job (which, although it’s getting better, it’s far from fine). New Board members were elected, but again, I don’t care at all. I didn’t go to the meeting. I went to Barbara’s and celebrated her birthday with June and Debra.  

Because the weather was awful on Saturday, no tourists wanted to walk through BC. I didn’t even stay to hand out maps- I simply locked up and left. In the evening, I drove across the street to the High School for the Beauty and the Beast musical performance. I appreciate the SCT so much after seeing this production. It wasn’t that good.

Because I had not been at BC on Saturday, as I was scheduled to be, and because I knew there were no volunteers available Sunday morning, I went to open and stay for the first shift.  I set the alarm off as I opened, and the police came.  No good deed goes unpunished, I guess.  Then I went to Coach’s to watch the Bills game. At least there was no baiting the opposing players or helmets being used as weapons during this game. TNF was horrible. It’s a game, idiots, and you’re paid a whole lot of money to play it! Get over yourselves!