2/27/2022

 

Weekly Update 02/27/2022

I had visitors! Jan and her friend Gerry drove over from Alabama. It’s a 10-hour drive, so it’s not something that is undertaken lightly. They were on the road all day Monday to get here, and they drove back for the full day on Friday. In between, we did a few things.

Gerry is an artist and enjoys a variety of crafts. She wanted to see the SCAD Museum, but unfortunately, it was closed on Tuesday when we wanted to visit. I wanted to try the comedy ghost trolley tour, and we had tickets for Thursday evening, but they canceled (probably we were the only tickets they sold, but they didn’t give us a reason). So some things didn’t work out. Another place Gerry wanted to go to was the Blick store. It’s an artist shop and it has all kinds of things that SCAD students need. It’s like a foreign country to me, but Jan and Gerry liked it and we went twice. As it’s right across the street from Davenport House, and the move to the pharmacy was done this week, I had a chance to peek in the windows to see what was going on.

We did go to the Telfair and the Jepson to see the art exhibits, and we made a day trip to Jekyll Island. We also ate out a lot. None of us are getting any younger or more mobile, so we spent time in my apartment visiting. The weather was perfect for all three days.

The trip to Jekyll on Wednesday was nice. We took the trolley ride around the historic district, and even got inside one of the “cottages”. We had all visited before, but not for many years. We also had a nice walk along driftwood beach. That changes each time I visit as more trees are washed ashore, so it’s always like seeing it for the first time.

We ate at Joe’s at the Jepson, which is becoming my very favorite lunch place, Terra Mia, which is my favorite Italian place and it’s in Pooler so it’s an easy drive, Crystal Beer Parlor, which is my all time favorite restaurant, and even had a quick stop at Leopold’s which is the best ice cream in Savannah.

When they left Friday, I immediately had laundry to do: sheets and towels. It took me all day. I have only three weeks until I get my next guest – LISA!

Spring is on the way. The azaleas are starting. I took this photo on Jekyll.

Adrian is amazing! I had pictures this week of swimming lessons, and him at the piano playing a duet with his mommy. He’s the apple of my eye, for sure.

 

Weekly Update 02/20/2022

Unlike the past few weeks, where I do nothing but go to bed early and get up late, and spend my days thinking about what I can eat next, this has been a busy week.

A lot of that was Adrian. On Monday, I got a Valentine! (I didn’t send one to him. Valentine’s Day ranks right up there with Christmas as my least favorite holidays ever!) Sarah also included a photo of Adrian hard at work making the finger painting. I had a delightful video of him trying really hard to learn to crawl with mommy and daddy giving him much encouragement in the back ground, while the cat, Pippin. looks on with terror. On Saturday, I zoomed with him to read a few more books and just talk. It didn’t last long, as he must find it difficult to have someone read him a book from Savannah, where he can’t see it or touch it. But I certainly enjoyed reading about green and red dots and animals.

Tuesday I had a meeting in the late afternoon, so I went to City Hall a little later than usual. The meeting lasted for about an hour, and by the time I got home, I’d wasted the whole day. I only had time to eat a lot before watching some tv and going to bed.

Wednesday was Davenport House. A couple on my last tour made quite a fuss about wearing a mask, and that upset me, so I didn’t meet for Happy Hour with friends, but just went home to pout. And eat.

Thursday, instead of meeting in Green Square, Helen, Jane, Denise and I took a drive to Eastman, Georgia, about 3 hours away, to visit Vicki, who moved there about a year ago. Her house is very big, and wonderful. She has a library, and Larry has both an at-home office and a sound proof music room. My favorite was Patsy’s bathroom. Her shower looks as if it’s in a grotto. Vicki also has chickens and peacocks. The animals were not my favorite, but they love the country setting. Patsy was in school and Larry was at work, so we didn’t get to see them. It was wonderful to see Vicki and her new home.

Later that evening, there was a lecture about artifacts that were found in the Savannah River during the recent dredging operation. Five cannon were brought to the surface, and some cannon balls and other weapons that would have been fired from the cannons. After all the research, it is believed that these are not from the CSS Georgia, the confederate ironclad that was scuttled in 1864 to prevent the capture and use against the South by the Union, but probably from a warship that sank during September 1779 during the Battle of Savannah.

Friday, I had nothing on my calendar, so I thought it might be a good day to work at my taxes. It didn’t take long. I use the same online program I’ve used for several years, and not a lot changes, so I just fill in the blanks. I’m getting a big refund. I suppose that’s ok, since I have nearly no income, but I feel that I should contribute something as a citizen. Perhaps when I get the refund, I’ll donate to some cause I think is underfunded by the feds. Homelessness bothers me tremendously.

Saturday, after I zoomed with Adrian, I drove downtown to the Book Fest. I didn’t go last year, and the year before that it was canceled. I attended five sessions, three of which were virtual. They all talked about the mechanics of writing (most begin very early in the morning and work in dedicated offices in their homes), how the story and character develop (some know the story from beginning to end before they sit down to write, while others begin and let the story unfold as they go along), what inspires the stories (some are news items, or something from their own experience), how they research (even fiction needs extensive research, for time, place and motivations). The authors I listened to were: Michael Tubbs (a 31-year-old black politician from California who wrote a memoir), Dave Guterson (who has written fiction, non-fiction, short stories and poetry), Nina de Gramont (who wrote a fictionalized novel about the disappearance of Agatha Christie), two doctors (who wrote about various epidemics throughout history), and Laura Dave (author of a NY Times bestselling novel). Every one was great, but I had a very hard time hearing at the Agatha Christie one. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the day spent listening to people who love books.

2/13/2022

 

Weekly Update 02/13/2022

Well, that was some game! I watched at home by myself, but I didn’t mind doing that. Most friends here have very little interest in sports, so I’m happiest when I can watch the game, and not have to make small talk. I also made myself some Cincinnati chili to eat during the game, and I had M&Ms for a treat. I’m happy for Matt Stafford, and I feel that Joe Burrow will have a lot more chances.

On Thursday, I had a few hours to waste between meeting in Green Square and attending training at DH. It was a lovely day, so I took my chair, my book, and a PB&J sandwich to Forsyth Park. It was almost 70 degrees and sunny. I found a very pleasant spot under a blooming magnolia tree and sat there to read and people watch. Several people stopped to take a picture of the tree because it was gorgeous, and I moved my chair and offered to snap photos of the groups. The picture that I took shows the fountain in the distance.

Friday, I went out to dinner with Helen, Jane and Denise. We met at B Mathews on Bay Street. The dinner was fine and the company was grand. I met Kay for coffee at a new coffee shop in Pooler that was very nice. Instead of eating breakfast as we usually do, we just had coffee.

It’s winter here, and the grass is all brown. The cattails around my pond are all dead. It looks dreary and dull. Soon, however, the grass will start to grow again, and then the pine dust will be falling from the trees and making my allergies unbearable. I guess there’s always something. In this photo, I tried to use an arrow for my porch, and you can almost see my white ficus tree if you look very closely.

Adrian is delightful. One of the photos this week show him standing in his diapers, and his chunky legs are so cute!

2/6/2022

 

Weekly Update 02/6/2022

Back at Davenport House! It felt good to be back. It wasn’t busy, and I don’t like it when it’s slow. The afternoon seems to drag when there’s not much to do. I only had to give two tours, and they were both small. But I surprised myself by remembering to include all the facts that I’ve regurgitated through the years. And it was great to catch up with staff that I hadn’t seen in a month. Since I wasn't exhausted from giving tours and answering questions, I met with the friends at Wednesday Happy Hour. I haven’t done that in a few weeks, and it was good to see them, too.

Thursday, because it was threatening to rain, the Green Square friends met at Whole foods for coffee again. Then, I met Kathryn for lunch at The Vault, a nice fusion restaurant. She is a friend from Bonaventure, and I don’t see many of those people much any more. We both go to the Learning Center book club, so we made plans to meet before the book discussion this month for lunch. I enjoyed catching up with her and the BHS happenings. Book Club was OK, too.

The Colonial Faire, which is part of Georgia Days in Savannah, was held this weekend. Sunday was Super Museum Sunday, when most museums open their doors for free (with generally reduced tours and hours), and I usually avoid that. I can go to all museums any time I want, and I don’t like to be in the crowds. Also, it was scheduled to rain all day, another reason to stay away. I met Kay for breakfast, and that was all I needed to go out for.

But Saturday, I really wanted to go to the Faire. It is one of my very favorite events here, and I don’t like to miss it. It was not warm (hey, it’s still February!), but at least it was dry. I loved watching the parade of revolutionary war soldiers, British and American, and seeing all the demonstrations of cooking, blacksmithing, wood carving, silversmithing, toys and games, candle making, Native Americans, cannon and musket firings, etc. I’m very easy to entertain.

Adrian is perfect. I had photos this week of him going bowling! Sarah and Jack are surely involving him in a wide variety of experiences!