seuss would have been so pleased!

Hooray! I feel like I hit a home run right out of my living room!

Both Miyah and Chloe loved the Christmas crackers!!!

I think having it in the wrappers I'd fashioned from the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas" stationery (that I've had since 2000) had a lot to do with that.

They immediately switched necklaces, since Chloe liked the blue one better and Miyah prefers gold, but the erasers were spot on!

Here they are, still playing with the necklaces!

Get this: they were the ones who noticed that the cubes were actually dice!

I guess I'd never looked at them that closely!

Miyah has hers wrapped around her wrist, like a bracelet, like I do with long beads - nice!

She's also singing into her pencil like it's a microphone - good thing we had that section of the place all to ourselves!

On this rainy evening, Carey the H on Skidaway was fairly empty, so that worked out in our favor.

Good call, my first niece!

Nice of Anthony to chauffeur her around so she didn't have to drive on slick roads!

She's not a fan of driving anyway, as I told him.

A car is just a means of getting from where she is to where she wants to be.

I love the actual act of driving between those two points!

I miss that, and plan to do more of it as warmer days with more daylight hours near.

She had missed these little glass hummingbirds, once intended as a Christmas gift for me a few years ago, then "put into a safe place"... and promptly lost!!!

Hahahaha!!! She most def takes after me with that trick!

I'm so glad she finally located them.

They'll be so lovely in my sunroom when it opens for spring!

She also brought me another treat: Girl Scout cookies!!!

I have been waiting for these for at least three weeks!

Now, I have so many choices for dessert tonight... and tomorrow night... and for many nights in the foreseeable future.

All right on time to bring sweetness for Valentine's Day!

What a wonderful treat this has been: time with my girls, and cookies, too!

We even played rock-paper-scissors, in memory of the origami! 

So much love!!!

time for christmas crackers!

She'll be here soon, so I'll make this brief. I finally can give the Seussian Christmas crackers I made to my great-nieces!!!

"She... you mean your first niece??? She's coming from Hinesville on a weekday?"

She is! She sent me a text this afternoon, so I told her I'd be home instead of at the book reading at Asbury Memorial. It's part of the Savannah Book Festival that was held last weekend.

"I'm sure she would have understood if you wanted to attend that."

Hey, she has Girl Scout cookies that I need to pay for, so that's got some priority. Mostly, though, I really want to see her and the girls. It's been months since we've been together!!! That's why I still have the Christmas surprise I put together for each of them!

"I see. I think Cedric Stratton would get quite a kick out of those."

I agree.

"So, what's inside those little packages?"

The inside flap has a bookmark from a One Hundred Miles about shorebirds, as well as a large sticker that says "READ" from the PINES library event. 

"Those will be nice surprises for the children!"

They should be useful, for sure. Then, inside the package is a variety of items. The biggest item is the ticket for a free game of mini-golf! I'm hoping that I'll be invited to come along when they return to town to do that. (smile!) Then there's the beaded necklace from Las Vegas - four different ones, so each girl's will be unique. The Christmas-decor pencil and Christmas-themed eraser cap were from a fundraiser at their schools, and those were all different, too. Oh, and I included a mini Tootsie Roll. No cracker would be complete without candy!

"Oh, I know those are going to be very popular gifts!!! Which girl gets that one?"

That's for Miyah. She has the blue-cube necklace and the Santa eraser. Chloe has the gold-cube necklace and a reindeer eraser. Alyssa will get a gold-beaded necklace with a snowman eraser! And Leila's cracker will have a green-beaded necklace and green tree eraser. I guess I'm fixing to find out how well I chose those items for each!

"I guess you are!"

I have no doubt that Christina is going to love the "Coat Of Many Colors" ornament. That's not only a good Bible story and a fun musical, but Dolly Parton has forever immortalized it in song. Yes, I'm sure she's going to like that! I'm just hoping the girls will remember playing putt-putt with me on vacation. That was two years ago.

"Yes, that's a long time for little ones. All the more reason for y'all to go to Bogey's and make some new memories together of that experience!"

Yes, that's right! I'm trying to give them an experience this year, not just a gift. Okay, let me get down here before they arrive!

getting some culture, part 2

Remember when I went to the Learning Center a couple of weeks ago?

That was for the lecture about letters during times of war, and I'd very much liked it.

I'd go to more lectures there, but that would eat into my budget.

See, even if I join the organization - which would cost $75 annually - I'd still have to pony up money for each event (typically $10 to $20 each).

That's a bit much for me, as I'd have to cut out meals with others.

Nope!

So what had enticed me for a second outing?

Another free event!

"Who's Reading Banned Books... And Why?" was sponsored as part of the Savannah Black Heritage Festival, so it was free for all.

That's not to say the eight books were all by black artists - they weren't.

It's not to say the eight readers were all black, either - they weren't.

However, the books did concern fringe members of American society and I think that was the reason the city of Savannah chipped in funding, on behalf of SBHF37.

It should be noted that none of the books in the poster were included.

Also, the books used tonight had been "challenged", which is the precursor to their being banned.

They had not been forever removed from the public.

To my surprise, several of the books selected were novels that had been made into movies which I'd seen!

"The Color Purple" - written in 1982, from which Melissa Swindell read the conversation about God that Celie had with Shug.

"The Hate U Give" - written in 2017, from which Rexana Lester read the encounter that Starr and Khalil had with the police officer.

"The Grapes Of Wrath" - written in 1939, from which Roger Smith read the short speech of Tom to his mother, and then her speech about ordinary people.Those were very serious conversations.

So were the ones selected from "Native Son" (written in 1940) and "Go Tell It On The Mountain" (written in 1953).

The former excerpt, read by Andreia Wardlaw, was between Gus and Bigger Thomas about the power white men had that they didn't as black men.

The latter one, read by Lola Dewitt of the Live Oak Public Libraries, was between Esther and Rev. Gabriel when she tells him she is pregnant with his child and that he needs to leave his barren wife to be with her.

(I really liked that one, mostly because Dewitt used different voices for the characters, bringing them to life!)

Another one I enjoyed was "Love To Langston", a 2002 collection of poems meant to introduce children to the works of Langston Hughes.

My thanks to Teresa-Michelle Jackson (of the SBHF) for turning me on to that!

The last two books were nonfiction, meaning they weren't of much interest to me, but that's okay.

Reverend Guillermo Arboleda read from the prologue of "Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas In America", which came out in 2016.

Bruce Cohen, a retired epidemiologist, read from the 2018 "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism".

Both books sound like somebody's doctoral thesis to me.

I'm glad those were the first two at this event tonight.

The spoonful of sugar that followed that heavy dose of gripes made this a successful venture for me.

(smile!)

getting some culture, part 1

My Lunch Lady friend, Sarah Logan-Reynolds, encouraged everyone on fb to "go and take in some culture" last weekend.

The Savannah Book Festival was in town, plus it was the Free Museums Sunday, with a wide range of activities to take in.

I chose to wait until today, when parking would be easier and the weather would be more conducive to strolling downtown.

See what I mean?

I'm wearing sandals!!!

I would have been at there earlier, but I had the house wide open for warmth!!!

Every room, every closet, open and unblocked to air flow!

Now, for the first time in months, my house is up to 72.

My gratitude to God!!!

So just where was I?

At the Jepson Center, where the exhibit of a portion of the costumes that Glenn Close had from her movies is on its last week.

This was my first time seeing them.

I would have liked to have been able to touch them, too, as I am such a tactile person.

Fortunately, there was an area just for that kid in me: the Barbara Matera Ltd. zone, with large swatches to match - and touch!!! - for at least a dozen of the costumes.

Magnificent!!!

I couldn't help but think of Edna Mode, the fashion designer for the Parr family!

That's because Barbara also supplied costumes for superheroes - very nice!

I'm so grateful that tactile game was there to satisfy my craving for touch! 

After all, I'd just spent almost thirty minutes absorbing all the wonder of the "102 Dalmatians" section, with no touching allowed.

That set of clothing was, by far, the largest in the exhibit.

There were a total of eleven outfits!!!

 

However, as much as I loved the Dragon Suit, the Flower Dress, and the Gown of Flames, this trio not only tickled my funny bone, but told a story.

First of all, that fabric pattern is obviously an inside joke!

That checker style is called Hounds Tooth - get it?

Dressing 'Ella' in that probably even helped her to transform back to herself.

So, in the first outfit, on the left, she's been released from prison and has been reconditioned to being a lover of animals, not just their pelts.

Then she hears Big Ben chime - DONG! - and the white beaded necklace becomes a black and white one, her hair gets mussed, and the jagged shoulder pads rise.

Again Big Ben chimes - DONG!! - and the spell enforced by the prison is completely broken, as is her grip on being placid and her calm composure, as Cruella returns, full force!

Bwah ha ha!!!

Honestly, I'm going to have to see about watching "102 Dalmatians" again.

I may have only seen that 2000 film the one time. 

I'm not nearly as familiar with it as I am with the 1996 live-action version of "101 Dalmatians".

That one, of course, I knew the story of by heart, having grown up with the 1961 animated musical all of my life!

 

The next display that caught and held me was for "Dangerous Liaisons".

That 1988 movie about seduction and deceit, set in Victorian times, really grabbed the attention of my 30-year-old self. 

Such sensually rich and luxurious fabrics!

Such intricate designs!

Such opulence within every inch and every stitch!

No doubt that influenced my design of my wedding gown when I made it in 1992.

That gown also influenced Glenn Close a few years ago.

She was going to the Met Gala in 2023 and wanted something suitable for the affair, which was honoring the late Karl Lagerfeld.

I think she definitely hit the mark with this one!

My question would be: how much does that voluminous outfit weigh???

My guess is at least thirty pounds, maybe more with the jewelry.

That's most def not suitable for dancing!

(smile!)

Let me end with this much more slimline design.

This is what she wore as 'Nova Prime' from "Guardians Of The Galaxy" in 2014.

How wonderful to be able to look closely at that fancy inset pleating in the shirt!

How delicate those gold buttons are on the jacket, lending it a military flair!

How appropriate to spend my last bit of time with this design from one of my all-time favorite science fiction movies!

Now, to rescue my car from the meter!

getting into the 90's rhythm, y'all

Now is the part of the competition when the pairs of ice dancers can win medals at this 25th Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy!

Up until this point, they have been part of a team, with the team sharing the medal with the component players.

So, for Team USA, the ice dancing pairs, the solo men, and the solo women, all shared the one Gold medal.

Today, the pairs competed for their own Olympic medal in Ice Dance, starting with the Rhythm Dance to 90's music!!!

It's almost like they knew this would be Music Bingo night!

Then, in two days, they'll complete their quest for Ice Dancing Gold, Silver, or Bronze in the Free Skate.

I'll have to be sure to record that if I'm out for the evening.

(smile!) 

 

I was thrilled with this pair!
Here's the brother-sister team from Czechia, going hard and fast in their skate to AC/DC.

What song had they selected for their high-energy assault on the ice?

"Thunderstruck". 

Next up was the pair for South Korea, with both all dressed up and classy.

They would have been right at home on the set of "Men In Black"... which was good, as they were grooving to a medley of Will Smith songs!

The couple skating for Spain chose more music that I loved: Ricky Martin's "Maria".

Wow!!!

That was so thrilling to watch!

Here's one of the two pairs from Canada!

Dressed as sports fans out for a game, they spun and twirled to a medley of clap-along songs still heard at arenas and stadiums!

Now for some Bell Biv DeVoe action with one of three USA pairs!

The girl in the song may have been "Poison", but Emilea Zingas was just perfect out there!

Lithuania's pair was such a cheeky duo! 

How funny to hear Right Said Fred sing "I'm too sexy for Milan" as these two danced on the ice... in Milan!

Nice inside joke with the audience!

That joke was echoed by the second pair from Canada, the one with Piper Gilles.

They spiced up the jam with a bit of RuPaul, keeping it real... real fun!!!

In between those two acts was the second pair for the USA, this one with Christina Carreira.

"Sweet dreams of rhythm and dancing" sang La Bouche as this duo swirled... wow!

As for this Great Britain pair, I very nearly called the Great Scott to watch!

They were using a medley of his fav music: the Spice Girls! 

Hahahaha!

Such fun!!!

Then it was time for the last pair to skate: Chock and Bates of the USA.

Notice her outfit: she designed it herself, as well as the one worn for the Spanish woman.

I'm not sure, but I think these two are the only ones who are married to each other.

I really think that adds a level of trust for all the lifts and spins!

Lenny Kravitz was their music of choice.

They ended up in second place for the Rhythm Dance. 

That doesn't mean they won the Silver medal... they still have to compete in the Free Skate to win the Ice Dance medal.

I'll have to pay more attention to that French team, as I only caught part of their Rhythm Dance number.

I remember that she wore ruffled rose-pink shorts, but that's all.

I'll be watching for them on Thursday!

They'll be the last team to skate, as they placed first here.

(smile!)

I do so love seeing these skating dances every four years!

hooray for the seahawks, again!

The last time that I recall the Seattle Seahawks winning the Super Bowl was 2014.

Like this time, I shared that experience with my youngest brother.

Like this time, we weren't actually together for the game.

I'd been invited, all right, to come to their game-watching party, but I had to excuse myself because the weather was again in the 40's.

No worries!

As I told them when I called the first time, watching TV remotely 'with' Christina or with the ex or my stepmom had been a thing for me for several years.

This time, I'd be 'with Tony and Laura' as we all enjoyed Super Bowl LX!

No long-winded textversations though - phone calls were better! 

See that score in the third quarter?

Just over five minutes of play left, and the New England Patriots have zip.

Seattle has 12 points, but that's not two touchdowns... it's four field goals.

As I told Tony and Laura, that's been a  game of smash, smash, smash!

Certainly wasn't a good time to be a quarterback!

That all changed in the 4th quarter.

Barner caught a pass for a Seahawks touchdown... and Hollins did the same for the Patriots just moments later!

No more scoring by either team for seven minutes.

Then the Seattle kicker came out for another 3-point field goal - good!

Both teams were really scrambling then to try to scare up some more points. 

And then, justthatfast, it happened!

During the sack, the ball popped into the air and was nabbed by Nwosu, who promptly carried it off for a touchdown!!!

How very exciting for the Seahawks!!!

But the next bit of excitement came for the Patriots.

The pass looked like it was going to be incomplete.

That is, until Stevenson managed to scoop it up at the last possible microsecond and get it in for a touchdown... holy cow!!!

Wow, what a rush of points in that fourth quarter!!!

I actually watched the entire game this time, too, instead of just tuning in for the half-time show and last two quarters.

After all, a football game takes four hours to run 60 minutes of play.

Maybe someone needs to Banana Ball that sport!

But please don't get rid of the Super Bowl 'mercials.

My very favorite was the Budweiser one with the friendship of the young colt and the fuzzy, ugly, gray baby bird.

I'd already seen it in the TV show last week, so I was watching for it.

I was watching, camera in hand, to get that magical money shot...

of the moment when the Clydesdale looks like a Pegasus...

and then the American bald eagle rises above its head...

and we realize it's the two very different friends, all grown up.

That made me cry this time, just as it had before.

Not that I'm going to go buy Budweiser... which I cannot, due to the A-fib... but I sure do appreciate their marketing department.

That commercial will make me stop and watch every time.

guess i told elissa some bad info

Remember that I'd texted her that the weather would be glorious for next Monday's Music Bingo?

The forecast called for temperatures back to our latitude's normal.

That would mean lower 60's for the day, lower 40's at night.

Yeah, scratch that.

The WSAV weather song has changed, for the worse, every day since then.

There it is for Wednesday, teasing me with near-70 for Monday.

Then, the very next day, the weather song has lost a few bottom notes.

In other words, the lower temperatures have decreased to be all about that base... I mean, in the basement.

Now, it's Saturday and another two days have elapsed.

Super Bowl Sunday is going to be too cold for morning golf - sorry, Smitty.

It'll be too cold to trot over to Asbury Memorial for live church, too.

Looks like if I'm going to a movie for my A*List, I better do it today, while the sun is out and the local area has a chance of being near normal.

Ack.