5/22/2022

 

Weekly Update 5/22/2022

I finally got to the pool this week. In fact, I went three times. In other years, my tan has almost been complete by mid-May, but this year, I just didn’t feel much like going. Temperatures rose to the 90s this week, so I used that for motivation. It really felt good to be back in the water.

Tuesday, after volunteering at City Hall, I went to the Pool Library book club. We were supposed to read a book on the subject of health. Some choose stress relief and relaxation, one read about Alzheimer's, another read a book about keeping your brain young. None of those things were interesting to me, and I didn’t feel like reading about how bad obesity can be. So, I stretched the criteria a bit and read a book called The Missing Kennedy. It was a memoir by a member of the family who had the responsibility for caring for Rosie at St Coletta, an institution in Jefferson, Wisconsin. There was mental illness in the care-giver’s family, and the author tried to parallel the stories. I did not buy it – there is a HUGE difference between mental retardation caused by lack of oxygen at birth and a failed lobotomy and postpartum depression and bi-polar mental illness. But at least I made an effort to read something and I could report on the book. Next month we’ll all be reading the same novel, and I’ll like that a lot better.

In other book news, I attended a lecture with the Savannah Victorian Society about Alexander Dumas père. My friend, Roger Smith, talked about the author, his heritage, his life, and his prolific writing. Who knew?

I found a group of knitters on the Next Door App. They meet in Pooler at a coffee house two times a month. I had briefly joined a group on Wilmington Island when I lived on that side of town, but it stopped when the pandemic hit. That group would just meet, work on whatever project they were currently engrossed with, and talk. The group in Pooler has a different focus. They knit things using donated yarn that may be needed in the community – lap blankets for seniors, hats and scarfs for the homeless, baby blankets for hospital, etc – and they talk. I think I’ll like this group.

Adrian had quite a week, too. I think it was also hot in Rochester, so he spent time in the park, on a picnic, and playing in the water. All the photos made it seem as if he was having a great time. I think Sarah and Jack are fantastic because they give Adrian so many different experiences. Another thing he did this week was to visit the Strong Museum of Play for the first time. The museum is huge, and there’s so much to do there. I’m sure he was overwhelmed, but I’m hoping this is the first visit of many throughout the years. I also had the opportunity to meet with him on Zoom this week. I read two books to him, but I think I’m pretty boring, or maybe the books I read weren’t that interesting. But it thrilled me to see him!