2/26/2023

 

Weekly Update 2/26/2023

I’m a great grannie again! And I couldn’t be more delighted! Annie Rose Venuti joined big brother Adrian on Sunday, February 19. Everyone is fine. Sarah and Annie are home, and Adrian seems to love his little sister.

The beginning of this week found me in Gulf Shores, Alabama, visiting Jan and Fred. It’s a ten hour drive, and it seems as if I spent most of last week on the road. Construction does not make it easier or faster. I drove there last Sunday, and I drove back home on Wednesday. It was a quick visit, but it’s been so long since I’ve seen them, I really wanted to go even for such a short time.

On Monday, Jan and I met with Frances and Gerry for lunch. Both have been to Savannah with Jan, and I enjoyed showing of my city to them. It was nice to see them again. Jan also drove me around a little bit and I saw some back roads in Alabama. For supper that evening, we went to The Island Wing Co restaurant. As you would expect, wings are their specialty. I had buffalo garlic wings, and they were very good. But the best part was that they serve Genesee Beer! Fred and I split a pitcher.

Tuesday was Mardi Gras, and Jan was going to be in two parades as part of the Chamber of Commerce float. I was allowed to join the group. That was an adventure. Before I went for the visit, I tried to find a green, purple of gold t-shirt in Savannah, but I had not luck. There were no deep purple or gold shirts, and the only green ones had St Patrick’s Day logos on them. I passed a Walmart outside Pensacola, and I stopped to get a purple shirt. Everyone else in the parade had a costume, so a purple shirt was really lame, but it ws the best I could do. Mardi Gras is like St Patrick’s Day in Savannah, but without the drinking. People line up along the parade route and the participants on the floats throw all sorts of things at the crowd – mostly beads, but also moon pies, koozies, t-shirts, hula hoops, and stickers. It was amazing.

Wednesday, I spent the entire day on the road. Most of the drive is through Florida, and it’s a long, long drive. I tried to save my cellular data so I wouldn’t get an additional fee. I listened to talk radio, and that was depressing. I found I was yelling at my radio for some of the trip. Driving on Sunday is when I got the phone call from Brian about Annie. I stopped at a Waffle House for something to eat and texted to everyone in Georgia about the good news.

I’ve tried to get back into my walking routine. I had an eye doctor appointment on Friday, so I walked in that neighborhood before I saw the doctor. The azaleas on Washington Avenue, near old Savannah High, were in full bloom, and they are just lovely! My eyes haven’t changed, and my cataracts are only slightly worse, so I don’t have to think about those for another year. I walked with Kay yesterday, and I walked around my neighborhood today. I have meetings almost every day this week, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to continue.

Adrian and Annie are both perfect. I think Adrian looks like Jack, and little Annie seems to be a Field baby. They are wonderful!

2/19/2023

 

Weekly Update 2/19/2023

This update is a little off-schedule. I’m updating just before I walk out the door to travel to Alabama to visit Jan and Fred Waggoner. I’ll be driving all day. I’ll be back next Sunday at the usual time.

Monday evening I decided to join the Bloomingdale Historical Society. Bloomingdale is very small town just north of Pooler, and a little west of where my apartment is. I had hoped they would be open for Super Museum Sunday, but they were not, so I found out that the Historical Society meets on the second Monday of the month at the museum. When I got there the parking lot was empty, there were no lights on, and it did not look promising. I tried to email when I got home, but I still haven’t heard anything from anyone there. Maybe it’s just not active.

Helen, a friend who meets at Green Square each week, is getting ready to sell her house. She lives in a historic home in the city on York Street. The house was built in 1853 by a free woman of color, who, along with her daughter, had a school for black children before the Civil War. There’s been updates through the years of course, but much of the original building is still as it was. I asked Helen if it would be ok to show her house to Jamie and Jeff from DH, and it worked out that Tuesday was a day we could all meet. Helen is so proud of her home - as she should be! - and has researched some of the history. Jamie and Jeff were really quite impressed. When Jamie does her early bird walking tours in the Spring, she takes her tours past Helen’s house. This will give her added insight for her tours. I was just happy to have friends together to enjoy the history.

As I was walking back to my car, I made a slight detour to the Girl Scout store on Liberty Street. I wanted cookies! To be more specific, I wanted raspberry cookies. All she had was one box of Samoas left, and I didn’t really want those. She also told me that the raspberry ones were only available online, and that shipping and handling was quite expensive. I guess I don’t want them as badly as I thought I did, and I didn’t order any.

Wednesday, I met friends at Poe’s tavern. It’s a new restaurant, part of chain in the South, that is in the newly developed west end area. It is known for it’s burgers. The one I had was ok, but not special. As always, I enjoy meeting with friends more than I do with eating and having a glass of wine. Because I almost always walk in the east parts of the city, this was nice for me to leave my car at Forsyth and walk up Jefferson St and MLK Blvd. I got to see some different parts of the city, and I was not unhappy about that.

One of the things that Jan has scheduled for us when I visit this week is to join in a Mardi Gras parade. Alabama does Mardi Gras as well as Louisiana does! She suggested that I wear a purple, gold or green shirt for the parade. After my hearing aid appointment on Thursday, I went to the Tanger Outlets to look for a shirt. Nothing. Well, actually, there was a LOT of green, but all with shamrocks or Happy St Patrick’s Day on them. And, to be fair, I was not willing to pay a lot of money, but even at that, I found no shirts that I would want. I have a yellow shirt that I can wear with my jeans, and I guess I’ll have to pack that and do the best I can.

No news about Baby Sister Venuti. Sarah’s due day was February 17, so she’s a little late now. Adrian is all primed to meet his sibling, but no amount of talking is going to prepare him for how is life is going to change dramatically in a very short time. And no new baby is going to take the place of Adrian in all our hearts! Our hearts will grow.

2/12/2023

 

Weekly Update 2/12/2023

I attended a couple of lectures this week. The first was Tuesday evening, when I went to a Victorian Society lecture about China Painting. I sat in the very front row because I’d forgotten to put my hearing aids in, and it was all going well until all of a sudden, the speaker stopped, and I heard someone behind me call out for someone with a phone to call 911. The friend she was with was unresponsive. I immediately got up and ran to the back of the room where I could hide. I’m absolutely no help whatsoever in any emergency, and I just wanted to get out of the way. One lady, and I don’t know if she had medical training, took charge, and worked with the person until EMT personnel arrived. By the time they came, which was really only a very short time, the poor lady had been revived and was more embarrassed than anything else. I don’t know, but it was probably a diabetic episode. To be honest, most of the lectures I attend are attended by people my age and older. That this doesn't happen more often is a mystery. I’m glad everyone is ok, with only a tiny wound to her pride.

On Wednesday, I went to TLC for a lecture about Wendell Willkie, who ran as the Republican presidential candidate against FDR in 1940. The talk was by my friend Charles Snyder, and it was very interesting. I couldn’t tell you two things about WW before this, but I now have a greater understanding. I also had zoom meeting / lecture with the Friends of Mt Hope on Saturday morning. I rather like that – not having to get up or get dressed, not driving anyplace, just sitting in my recliner with my cup of coffee, learning. This talk was about Rochesterians who were workers on the Underground Railroad before the Civil War, and it focused on the ones who are buried at Mt Hope Cemetery. Much of this information was not new to me, but I enjoyed hearing it again.

I was out to eat a lot this week. I met John, Mike and Linda, from MP, for lunch on Thursday. It’s always good to catch up with former neighbors. I went out with Kay to Crystal Beer Parlor on Wednesday after she finished work. We weren’t able to meet either last weekend or this weekend, so a mid-week dinner was great. On Friday, it looked like rain, so my Green Square ladies met at Whole Foods for coffee. I intended to meet Roseann at Lake Mayer to walk after that, and just as we pulled into the parking lot, the rain started. So, we went to a nearby coffee shop for another latte.

Sunday, was of course, the Super Bowl. I didn’t care who won, I went out early to get myself a pizza (I’m too cheap to pay for delivery) and just watched as I lamented that this will be the last football game for a very long time. Snooty, Teddy and I watched with me.  It was a great game, very exciting, and it came right down to the last seconds. Congrats to the Chiefs!

I sent Adrian a littlevalentine card, and I enclosed a craft that the library provides to their pre-school program. Leftovers are available for anyone to pick up, so I absconded with one and added it to the valentine. Sarah sent a photo of the finished craft. She had to do much of it because it involved scissors and glue, but Adrian provided the hand for tracing and added the pom poms and snowflakes. He’s brilliant!

2/5/2023

 

Weekly Update 2/5/2023

Instead of going to City Hall this week to volunteer, I met some friends for a group birthday lunch. The restaurant offered Rochester Coffee. Well, I had to have it. It was coffee, walnut toffee whiskey, and Bailey’s. And it was very good! I asked why it was called Rochester coffee, since there was no Genesee beer in it, and they didn’t know. They guessed it was wasn’t Rochester, NY, but Rochester, UK. That makes more sense.

The CMA meeting this month had a speaker that addressed active shooter issues. I really feel that someone who has a grudge against society is not going to shoot up Davenport House, or Massie Heritage Center. Realizing this reality, the speaker emphasized de-escalation of angry people more than how to usher visitors out of a dangerous situation. But why are we even talking about this? What is wrong that this needs to be something to learn about?

While I was walking to the meeting, through Forsyth Park, I noticed that trees are beginning to bloom, a few azaleas were flowering, and the fountain was drained and was being scrubbed. Many plants in the park were hit hard by the continued cold we had last month. Many were cut back, but they seem to be sending up new shoots and the park should be lovely in just a few more weeks.

Book Club this month at TLC was a discussion of The Last Seance, a book of short stories by Agatha Christie. I found I got bored easily with short stories. I like to read one once in a while when I‘m waiting for a book to be available at the library, but to read a whole book of short stories was not very satisfying. Unless, of course, it’s O’Henry. I loved reading those stories many many years ago.

I attended a gallery opening at the African Art Museum on Friday evening. It was ok, but I don’t think I understood how small the exhibit was, and that the entire museum wouldn’t be open, only the new addition. It was interesting, but I had to drive a half hour each way to get there, and I was only in the museum for ten minutes.

Saturday, I went to Wormsloe Historic site for the annual Colonial Faire. This is one of my very favorite events in Savannah. It didn’t rain on Saturday, but it had rained a lot last week, so it was muddy, and the weather was cool. But I wandered around to see rifle shooting, candle making demonstrations, cheese making, cooking over an open fire, blacksmithing, Native American huts, etc. I think I’ve been to this faire every years since I moved here.  Sunday was Super Museum Sunday, when most museums are open for free. I skipped it. Generally, when they open for free, the tours are abreviated, and the areas are crowded. I can go toany museum I want any time I want, so I just stayed home on Sunday.

My allergies are starting. I noticed on my walks that the yellow pollen is lining puddles and is on cars. I’ve been blowing my nose, and last night I had trouble sleeping because my eyes were so itchy. And it’s just beginning! I have about eight weeks of this to go.

Adrian had more adventures this week, including the zoo, the Strong Museum, and bath time fun. I really liked the picture of Adrian dressed as a Medical Staff person at the veternary clinic which I think may have been at the Strong Museum. Years ago when I would visit the zoo with Emily, there was an animal hospital there, and the “staff” could work with injured “animals”. I think this is the same idea. But what really caught my eye was a manatee at Adrians’s station. There he was – Snooty! ready for hospitaliztion! And Adrian choose a cow instead of the manatee, which is the cutest animal ever!