7/25/2021

 

Weekly Update 7/25/2021

Not a whole lot going on again this week. I did go to City Hall on Tuesday, and as I was walking back to my car, I passed a gift shop that had a Savannah Banana onesie in the window. I couldn’t resist. I had to buy that for Adrian. Allen and I have Banana shirts, and now Adrian can dress as a fan, too.

Tuesday was also the library book club zoom meeting. The book I read, Last Days of Summer, a novel by Steve Kluger, was interesting. It was an epistolary novel, written as a series of documents (letters, report cards, postcards, telegrams, newspaper clippings and other documents). I liked that I we had to read a book in this style, because I have not read anything like this since Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which I did not like. But I did like this book, and was glad I read it.

On my way to DH on Wednesday, I first stopped at the post office to mail the package to Adrian. And buy stamps, since I’m stocking up on Forever Stamps anticipating the price increase. The Post Office is terrible, and I may not be sending any more cards and notes through the mail any longer. On Friday, the birthday cards I’d mailed to Miranda on June 17 was returned to me, address unknown. Hummmm. I had the right address and I was pissed off. The post office has been screwing with me for a long time – not delivering packages sent for Christmas, not forwarding mail, returning mail. It’s getting worse. When I complained at the main post office (actually there is no main post office in Savannah – everything goes through Jacksonville), the clerk looked up the address and yes, indeed – it is a valid address. So, lets see if I understand this: the post office in Savannah can access the database to verify an address, but the Rochester cannot? I was told that where I had written the “1” and the “4” on the zip code may have been too close together to read. Really? It took longer for them to return the mail to me - FIVE FUCKING WEEKS - than it would have for someone to look up the address! So, a birthday card to a grandchild is not delivered, and I’m livid. The government continues to be more and more inept.

After meeting in Green Square on Thursday, I back to my old nail salon on Wilmington Island. The new place I had been to a couple of times in Pooler was disappointing to me, so I went back to where I knew they would do a good job for a pedicure for me. And they did. I guess I’ll have to drive back there to get what I want. At least for the rest of this summer. Perhaps next year I’ll try someplace else nearer to BP. Also, when we were in Green Square, look what drove by! You don’t see a car like that every day!

I was at DH thee times this week. I had my regular tours on Wednesday, I attended a tour of the Kennedy Pharmacy to see the renovations that are underway and to get an update on the progress on Friday, and I filled on Saturday because a volunteer had been exposed to COVID, and no one else was available. I’m going to be filling in for a few extra Saturdays in August, too, as people will be vacationing, and the remaining docents need to take up the slack. I don’t do anything else, especially on weekends when the pool is crowded and I don’t want to be there, so it hardly matters.

On Sunday, I met old neighbor, Barbara, at a Cracker Barrel near I95. She was on her way from her North Georgia home to Florida, and we agreed to meet up as she was driving past. It was good to see her again.  I was early to meet her, but I enjoyed shopping in the Cracker Barrel Store.  There was a really nice sea turtle print sundress that was nice, but it had no pockets; that's a deal breaker for me.  They also had old Fisher Price toys.  I was really tempted to buy the Talking Telephone for Adrian, but I'm pretty sure he will not lack for playthings!  I looked for the Skybar Candy Bar that I like, and I've often been able to find one at their candy counter, but they didn't have one.  I'd forgotten how cool that little store can be!  

7/18/2021

 

Weekly Update 7/18/2021

Quite a while ago, I received a rather substantial gift card to be used at Home Goods as a house warming present when I moved to Pooler. I was never able to find anything I wanted, and I truly do not want MORE STUFF, but I felt I should find something since these ladies had kindly wanted to show me their friendship. As I was dusting my black plastic tv stand this week, I was once again reminded how much I hate that thing, and especially the way it shows the dust only moments after I’ve run my rag over it. I had looked in Home Goods before, but never saw anything that caught my eye. That changed this week, when I casually went in “just to look”. I found a sofa table that is made of wood and is painted gray, was just slightly narrower but also slightly taller that what I had. And, it fit in my car. I bought it and set it up Monday, and I like it so far. Now I need to figure out a way to cart the old one to the Goodwill.

DH was very strange this week. The tourists are still everywhere in Savannah, and for my first tour, I had 12 visitors. There were so many people that the director had to give a tour in order to keep the guests in each group to a reasonable number. For the next tour I only had four, and the one following that was only two. And at 4 pm, there was no one! I got to leave a little early. Wednesday is when one of my group of friends meet for drinks, and I’ve been unable to join them because of the conflict with doing tours at DH. This week, I did meet with them. That was a nice bonus to getting out early.

As I was walking from the free parking on Jones Street to Green Square on Thursday, I passed an advertisement for Coca Cola that was painted on the brick wall of a building. The wall is facing an alley (you can see the line of garbage cans lined up in the alley). I took a photo and then did a little googling to see when this slogan, “relieves fatigue”, was used. It was a part of the ad campaign in 1908-1910. So, I guess this painted wall has been in this alley for a long time.

I was back in the pool this week – FINALLY. I tried to go Thursday, but they were working on cleaning it. I stayed for quite a while, but it was too hot to sit next to the nice cool wand not be able to get in, so I left. I went again on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It’s been so long since I’ve been swimming, it was difficult for me. My muscles don’t remember. It came back quickly, and I enjoyed being there.

Before I went to the pool on Friday, I first went to pick blueberries. I went to the same farm that I’d been to before for strawberries and blackberries. The blueberry “orchard” is father away from the store where they give you the bucket and you pay for what you pick. So I had to drive my car past huge fields of sunflowers and sweet corn. It felt as if I was in the country! There’s a butcher shop near the farm, so I stopped to see if I could find something like really good hot dogs that I used to be able to get in Rochester. In Savannah, all they have is what I call frankfurters, and they’re not the same at all. I want a good, fat, pop-open white hot from Zweigles. I didn’t find any at the meat place, but I did get a bratwurst and some tenderloin steaks. They were expensive, but I love a really good steak. That evening for dinner I had steak, baked potato, corn on the cob and blueberry shortcake for dessert.

Adrian continues to delight his great grandma! I get frequent updates to the photo album that Jack and Sarah have created and shared. I’m very grateful for them including me. Adrian is darling! 

7/11/2021

 

Weekly Update 7/11/2021

I did very little this week other than sit in front of my tv and watch sports. It was the second week of Wimbledon, and I also watched two EUFA matches. I only liked one of the outcomes – Ashley Barty - but was disappointed that Djokovic won and that England lost. I may have to struggle to get my fat ass out of my recliner and away from the television this coming week.

Aventon Park has been sold, and now I am a resident of Belmont Park West, although I have not moved. My address has not changed. I fear I will see an increase in rent when my lease renews, but I don’t have to think about that today. I’m hoping they can do something about irresponsible dog owners, parking issues, and dumpster problems. We’ll see. After living at MP and Summer Breeze, I actually have few complaints, and if I do, I can easily move.

This week was The Storm That Wasn’t. Again. We had been told that Elsa would hit the coast, causing rain and high winds. Wednesday, many museums closed entirely, or closed early because of the forecast. I went to DH as usual. It did not rain when I was there, and it did not rain as I drove home. We did get some rain in the night, but not bad, and as I drove to Savannah on Thursday, there were some streets that were flooded. That’s not unusual for Savannah. I hope this is what hurricane season will be like - much ado about nothing.

Ever since I moved here, I’ve wanted to have grab bars installed and shower heads replaced. I submitted a request, and I understood that it was approved. However, no work was ever done. Last week, when the neighbors met for a grill out for the Fourth of July, I learned that one of them was a contractor. I asked if he might be able to help me make my bathrooms safer and easier to clean, and he agreed. Thursday, we both went to the Home Depot, and picked out what I wanted. He installed everything, and I couldn’t be happier.

my bathroom

guest bathroom

Adrian continues to be amazing! He is the most wonderful little baby boy ever! Well, since Allen and Brian, anyway. Sarah joined the Wahl family zoom this week, and Adrian was just perfect. We are easily entertained, and all he needed to do to amuse us was to be there.

7/4/2021

 

Weekly Update 7/4/2021

The news I’ve been waiting for for months! I no longer have to refer to Sarah and Jack’s offspring as The Baby or Blob – he’s a real person with a real name: Adrian Everett Venuti! And he is just perfect! He was born July 1 at 6:05 pm. He weighed 8 lb 6 oz and was 22 inches long – a tall guy! He has a little hair. Sarah and Jack have been very kind and have been sending lots of photos and videos, but they asked that I don’t post them for privacy reasons. And I’m good with that. I think most of the readers of this blog have received pictures already. I am over the moon with happiness!

Everything else this week paled in comparison! I did the usual: City Hall, DH, Green Square. I had to fight with the Instant Ink program I’d signed up for when I installed the printer several years ago. They are supposed to send ink when they sense that I’m getting low. I should think that they could also “sense” what cartridges I’d need, but that was becoming a big problem; they send the wrong ones on more than one occasion. So I canceled, and I think they did something to make the printer inoperable. The Web Services light was on, and I didn’t know what that meant. After almost an hour on the phone with a technician, I got it going again, but I’m still having a few issues. Does anyone who works in “costumer service” at a tech company understand that some of are very old, and need to have things simpler?

I’ve continued to eat out a lot. I met my neighbors from MP, John and Dave, for lunch one day. It was good to see them again. And, I went out for Thai food with Kay. That was great! I haven’t had Phat Thai in a long time, and this was a restaurant Kay knew about. It was wonderful.

I watched quite a bit of Wimbledon this week. Unlike the French Open, this is not being broadcast on The Tennis Channel, but is on ESPN, so I can watch. I also watched England win their EUFA match against the Ukraine. Thanks to Harry Kane, it was a win.

On the Fourth of July, there was a lot going on. But it turned out to be a boring day for me. In past years, I’ve gone to Colonial Park Cemetery to participate in the DAR program. I got there promptly at 10am this morning, and there was nothing! There was not even a wreath or flag at the tomb of Button Gwinnett. There were a lot of tourists wandering around, and I wanted to tell them all that Button Gwinnett signed the Declaration of Independence, but they’re all reading the markers for Hugh McCall, and the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1820. After that disappointment, I wandered over to DH, thinking they might need extra help on a holiday. I forgot it was Sunday, and they don’t open until the afternoon. So, they certainly didn’t need me. A boat parade was scheduled for the afternoon, followed by a concert of patriotic songs, but that didn’t start until 3. It was another hot day, and I just didn’t feel like wandering around, waiting for something to begin. I went back to the apartment and took a nap. Tonight I’ll watch the 1776 video that I always watch on the Fourth, and maybe eat ice cream. But it was surely not the busy day I’d expected.

I've been published!  I submitted a brief article about my search for Dessie and John to the BHS newsletter editor.  She must be desperate for things to write about, because she revised what I'd written, and I'm the main story in this quarters' edition.