and now i have a cane...

Today, I had a long-awaited meeting with my PCP at Savannah VA.

The pain of walking with my right leg has been intense for at least a month, with me being reduced to a hobbling gait for the past two weeks.

The driving force has been my determination to have some relief at this scheduled 6-month checkup with Ms. Duchene.

And I have that now, in the form of a sturdy cane, a lesson in how to use it, an upcoming physical therapy appointment, and an X-ray at some near-future date to determine the source of the worsened pain.

Progress, however slow, is still progress, as I told everyone at the S&K Friday Fiesta gathered at Jalapenos tonight.

Tony and Laura very kindly gave me a ride so I could be with everyone.

They also managed to get me up into one of those high-top table chairs, with a regular chair to prop my legs and prevent sciatica.

They even bought my dinner!!!

I chose a fairly inexpensive dish, Enchiladas Caseras.

That has three enchiladas - one cheese, one shredded beef, one shredded chicken - as well as a Mexican salad and queso-topped frijoles.

Such a lot of food for that $12 price tag!

I ate every bit as I chatted with them, Smitty and Mary, Betsy and Jimmy, Mark, and Becca, down at the other end of the table.

I even came home with most of Laura's Chicken Mexi-Bowl!

That will be good while I'm stuck at home this weekend.

Say what???

That silly plastic grommet that joins the two metal parts of the Saturn's Shift Cable has failed, as they do.

Honestly, I've been expecting it to do so for a couple of weeks.

Remember, the last one was good for only a month.

This new one has been in since mid-July, so at least it lasted two months.

I was at Publix, picking up a few items while they were on sale.

i thank You, God, that I didn't park in the Handicapped space.

I would have been stuck there, as the gear shift was trapped in 3rd gear, which seems to be the favorite for the grommet to break.

As it was, I waited for about twenty minutes until the person parked in front of me left, so I could force my car to pull on through.

i thank You, God, that the 5 PM rush hour traffic had not begun.

i thank You, God, that it was 3rd gear, so I could take Truman Parkway to get me home again.

I pulled up in front of my house, not into the driveway, of course.

Without the ability to get into reverse, I would have been trapped.

Now, to await Monday morning, when Rincon Transmission will open.

i thank You, God, that this was a slow weekend for me.

Sure, I had things I could have done... but nothing I'd paid for yet, so if I missed it, at least I had not lost money.

That's always a blessing! 

sixty sisters in faith in september

After two months of no sisterly love in Holliday Hall, we were all chomping at the bit to see each other again.

This 'return from summer' luncheon was a true celebration of the friendships within Sisters In Faith, and it was feast for the senses!

 

Eight of the women had agreed to serve as hostesses for this fancy, white-tablecloth, sit-down meal, each bringing their own china and table decor.

I chose to sit at Table 7, the fourth one on the left, and my "springtime" dress can be spotted in the aisle from my seat on the end.

Part of the reason I selected that table was very simple: the white china had the same octagonal shape as my china.

The other reason was because the hostess was CeCe Coleman.

That's her at the other end of the table, and Emily Garrard - my theater-going friend - was sitting to my right. 

Truth to tell, she was the third reason I opted for this table.

Catherine Gilbert, a colleague from Armstrong, was on my left, and that younger woman is a member of the Wesley Oak congregation.

She used to come to Asbury, until the young people she worked with went to Wesley; now, she has returned to Asbury, as that church is defunct.

Word is that the property has been sold, so that's a blessing!

 

And who else was at our table, between Emily and CeCe?

Those are Connie and Madelyn "Mad Dawg", the Georgia Bulldogs fan!

She was a trip to be with today!!!

She and I had several things in common, as we get out of the house far more than many of the others.

Even with this worsened hitch in my giddy-up, I made sure to be here!

 

Like I said, this was a celebration, after two months away from each other.

The food was prepared by professional chefs, just for us, and every bite let us know how very special we are.

Just look at that appetizer: bruschetta with Mediterranean salsa, topped with marinated Georgia shrimp... totally scrumptious!

When Carson Branan brought out a leftover plate of the summery delight, I graciously accepted it, eating every morsel!

The entree featured a rich quiche containing mushrooms, spinach, sun-dried tomato, and Swiss cheese in egg custard - fabulous!

That was accompanied by a mixed green salad topped with toasted Asbury pecans, cranberries, and balsamic vinaigrette - I would have gladly eaten seconds of that, too!

Ah, but then, how would I have room for that luxurious dessert?

Grand Marnier Chocolate Mousse, it was, with raspberry sauce and fresh whipped cream - I ate it in tiny bites to make it last as long as possible!

 

My gratitude to Philip and Charlene Branan for this feast for the senses!

They were the owners and chefs at the Boar's Head restaurant until just recently when they retired.

Get this: they were born in 1959, the Chinese Year of the Pig.

No doubt that was the inspiration for the fine eatery's name!

Now, they're using their talents here and Asbury Memorial has been reaping the benefits all this year.

Today, they had their son, Carson, helping out, as well as his wife.

Kudos to all for spoiling us with this meal!

 

Kudos to Lynn Drake for the music from the Wesley Oak piano; to Tim Steinhauser for serving as the tuxedo-clad Maitre-d as well as the male component of the Holiday Hall Cafe Trio (along with Carmel Hearn and Kathy Solomons); and to Allexa Schlimmer for her vocal talents with the entertainment provided! 

I don't know who was in charge of choosing which bits of Shel Silverstein's poetry would be used this afternoon, but I applaud the choices!

I can't say that I knew them all, but I definitely was familiar enough with the final one - "Moon-Catchin' Net" - that I was able to sing along!

 

Afterward, I went to Greenwich to visit Mama.

I just felt the need to share this outing with friends with her.

The next time I head out there, I'll have some fresh flowers in hand, as those by the headstone are looking a bit beat from the summer heat.

There was one major change out there: the huge pine tree that had been a few sites down was gone.

Just a ragged stump marked where it had been.

Surprisingly, there was no damage to any of the markers, so perhaps it had been taken down instead of falling.

I'll have to check out the other sites when I return.

What a beautiful day this has been!

i thank You, God, that I was able to share it with so many others.

learning something new with aarp

Yes, indeed, I got schooled today!

As a volunteer with AARP-GA, there were several of us from the Savannah chapter there at Savannah Technical College at 11 AM.

Never mind that it was a Tina Tuesday!

Not that anyone there was aware of any such thing, so there's that.

The four-hour seminar was titled "Savannah Volunteer Portal Training", but it was not by any means an in-depth class.

The purpose of the in-person training was to teach us how to edit our contact record, how to access the help videos and tip sheets, how to create and submit a reimbursement request, and how to set up direct deposit.

That was all.

There were three 'Portal Champions' - Romelle, Lauri, and Charlene - that had been called in from Atlanta and North Carolina to train the nine of us.

Seriously.

I had thought that was overkill, but there were only three of us who had any familiarity at all with the AARP website.

That would be me, Jeanette Bacon, Herb Singleton, and Lillian Brown.

I had actually been shocked to see those last two there for the training.

They've been AARP-GA volunteers for more than 9 years!

However, Brenda Singleton and Caroline Burnett, who are also long-timers, were just as lost with the software as were newcomers Connie Cooper and Felicia Shuman.

Seriously. 

However, as we have several events coming up in October, Gabrielle Richardson had deemed it vital for as many of us as possible to take this class.

I'm glad she had believed that!

I had no idea that I could get reimbursed for mileage, just for coming to this class today - and I'm going to get $6.08 for my efforts to get here.

 

Plus I had a nice, hot lunch about halfway through the class!

No one seemed to know who had catered it, but it may well have been the cooking school at the college.

I'd like to have the recipe for the spicy yellow dressing I chose for my salad.

That was certainly tasty!

After that break, it was back to the task of using the Wizard to take us through the steps of creating a reimbursement request, editing it, and making sure it was actually submitted.

Success!

Yes, I know it looks like I flubbed the assignment, as my request is listed as "not submitted", but that's because I want to set up direct deposit first.

Otherwise, I'd be getting a little bitty check that I'd have to arrange to get deposited at some point in time - no thanks!

One of the others is doing like me: setting up the direct deposit first.

She's also going to wait until after the Oct. 2nd "Movies For Grown-Ups" event that we're hosting, which is a good idea.

Yes, I like the idea of submitting three small requests at one time, so a more substantial deposit follows!

Such a nice perk for volunteering my time and presence and energy!

 

Now, I'm about to go see "Practical Magic 2", as I thought it would be advisable to see it before I'm in charge of handling it for my chapter.

And, look - there's a poster for the next MFG event here this month!

Sweet!

I haven't heard back from Gabrielle about who will be leading this team event, but I look forward to "Sense And Sensibility".

Should be fun for me and my friends!!!

3 wins out of 4 games!

"You won three games at Music Bingo tonight??? Wow!!!"

 

Not me, g'friend, but two of my friends there tonight. Marcia won the first game, "Summer Vibes #1", so her beer was gratis at Midtown Sports Grill. Pretty nice! Then Elissa won a free appetizer with the second game - that was "Girls Night Out #1" - so her giant pretzel was free! Some other table took the 3rd game, with its "Modern Country Mix #1", but that was just a free drink, as there weren't enough players to have a money pot.

 

"Wow. That's more winning than y'all's group has had for weeks. Usually it's just one of you that manages to get a win. Or, like last week, you have no winners."

As I said then, it's more about the music than the wins for me. Sandy is very competitive, so winning is very important to her. And she didn't have that tonight. Elissa was the big winner, taking the $50 gift card for the 4th game. We were all happy for her, but I think Sandy was a bit put out that she didn't get a prize.

 

"That's okay, there's always next week!"

 

Actually, there isn't. Yom Kippur is coming, so they won't be available for Music Bingo next Monday. I was a little bummed out, but Marcia said we can do dinner on Tuesday next week. That will work! I'm supposed to have a Two First Posts meeting that day, but it's been moved to Monday... so I would have missed Music Bingo, too!

 

"Hallelujah! That's going to work out great for all of y'all!"

 

Right? I just love when the Universe sets it up like that! Here's proof positive that I was in the right place, right time this evening, if I had any doubts. My odometer wanted to catch my eye before I turned off the lights in my driveway! The mileage read "247586" - that's a straight, and that's always a winning hand in poker! Plus, it's my second straight in less than a week - that's unheard of for me! So glad I was out with my friends on this Monday!

 

"I'm glad you were, too! And is that what you had for dinner? It looks like one of those sandwiches from Panera."

 

Good eye, g'friend! Yes, that's the Chicken Pesto Ciabatta Dipper, which is back for a while. I was there for a luncheon with Kathy Mayin last Friday. She and I are working on building a friendship, so when she suggested we get together sometime soon, I went right ahead and said, "Let's do it today!"

 

"Wow. And she went for that?"

 

Surprisingly, yes. She really does admire my getting out and about so often. As I told her, sometimes I have to "throw myself out of my house", and she may want to consider taking that action herself. I picked her up for this luncheon, as the restaurant is just around the corner from her. However, I told her that if she arranges for the CAT bus to get her to an event that I'm going to, I'll gladly take her home afterward. it's just that if I have to come and get her to go to an event, that's easily an hour that gets lost in driving. She understands, and tells me she wants to do that, but we'll see. I do hope it will! She definitely needs to make a commitment to herself to get out more.

 

"Yes, I know. She sold her car because the insurance had increased so much. She had looked into her options beforehand and was sure the CAT and Uber would be fine. The thing is, she just needs to plan better, as CAT requires several days' notice to come and pick her up. She insists that she doesn't want any of us to go out of our way to take her places, and I'm taking her at her word. I do hope she will join me for future events!  

 

"I hope so, too. Events are certainly more fun with friends!"

adding my thoughts to telfair progress...

Elyse Gerstenecker sent out the email a week or so ago, alerting members of the Telfair Museum of a special need: input on the effect of current changes on visitors to the Telfair Academy.

She called these times of input "Listening Sessions".

Intrigued, I made the choice to attend today, curious as to what the Director of Curatorial Affairs was seeking from us.

Our first stop was the fifth floor for the "Craft Along The Coast" exhibit. 

I noted that it was too dark, the print on the placards was far too small, there was no discernible flow, and there were far too few crafts actually on display.

The silver items in the next room were lovely, but how did they tie in to the items in this first room?

Even though the teapots and utensils were supposed to be part of this exhibit, why were they chosen?

The next site for our scrutiny was on the 2nd floor, in what was once a dining room.

Now, the "African American Art" display is there... but it's mostly paintings by artists from that background.

I didn't know any of that, only finding out when I asked why the "Rhode Island" painting was there.

Oddly, each piece had two placards, one in English, the other in Spanish. 

Why was Spanish chosen instead of Swahili as the alternate language? 

I didn't take a pic there, but I snapped two at our next destination: the 1st floor.

I do so love this "basement"!

As I told them, the windows make it seem to be a garden plucked from antiquity, with the benches to allow meditation and contemplation amongst the statues.

Those bits of history make it a favorite with friends who join me in this serene place.

I especially love the Hermes, with the towel draped on his shoulder - nice curves!!!

But why is The Bird Girl down here with all this marble?

Then we all returned to the rotunda for some refreshment and to discuss our findings. 

But first, I wanted to know: where was "Belle of 1810"?

For Elyse, that sparked a memory of me asking that very question last month! 

She had an answer for me: 'my girl' was off on tour, traveling to other museums and gracing them with her presence.

She'll be coming home soon.

(smile!)

So how many of us were there today?

I'd say there was at least a dozen, with most being retirees from other states, now serving as docents at Telfair Academy.

I was not the only local, though, so that was good, but I doubt any of those present were under the age of 45.

I made the suggestion that the museum arrange its exhibits in a chronological fashion, much as the Charleston Aquarium is set up by type of water from ocean to mountain runoff.

As the basement is the sculpture garden, and the rotunda is the set of old European masters, the three upper floors could be a revolving series of newer art, with the newest at the top floor.

I could tell that was a novel idea, especially as it was jotted down.

In fact, Elyse was sure to made notes of all of our ideas, grateful that we had taken time to give the issue some thought.

This was the first Listening Session for members.

Another will be held on November 19th, then a third on January 24th.

She's being sure to capture ideas from other sources, too, such as 'Emerging Professionals", "Local Artists", "Parents", and the "General Public".

I just may join her again on one of these future dates.

(smile!) 

old authors + new technology = hilarity in RH

The absolute highlight of the show on this rainy evening?

Having this friend with me to share the experience!!!

Sure, I would have enjoyed seeing the Richmond Hill Community Theatre troupe in action, as I have in the past - sure I would have.

But being there with Yvonne made it sparkle a bit brighter, especially with rain trying to dampen the occasion.

Forty-plus years of friendship with most definitely make that happen!

So, just what was going on out there?

Titled "Writers Runaround", the performance consisted of a series of six skits, each with writers from the past in a modern setting with today's technology playing a part. 

The first one, which was reprised as the sixth, was called "Happy Hour", set in a sports bar with big-screen TVs drawing their attention.

Who are "they"?

From left to right, that's Oliver Wilde (Christy Schultz), Jane Austen (Laura Ross), Dorothy Parker (Kelly McDavid), and Ernest Hemingway (Kenneth Pereira). 

When we tuned in, 'Dorothy' was getting pickled with martinis, 'Ernest' was hoping for bullfighting on TV, and the topic was "Star Wars" and which movies had been the best of the six that came to cinema.

Hahahahaha! Really was a lot of fun!

Of course the chatter had drifted to other topics from there in the first skit, but circled back to 'Bobofet' before it wrapped up.

In the sixth skit, they again talked of "Star Wars", but also about the movies made from their books and how much they'd disliked them.

'Jane' was especially irate about "Sense And Sensibility" - which makes me wonder what she would think of the new version coming out!

(smile!) 

The second skit pitted Homer against his agent in "Homer Nods".

As I told Yvonne, I know my ex would have laughed at this one!

'Homer' (Lisa Marie Tyler) had come in person to speak with 'Penelope' (Brianne Shuman) because the agent was ignoring her phone messages.

Imagine that!

Of course the woman's phone rang incessantly with other clients, showing that the phone itself wasn't the problem.

And just what did the writer want to discuss?

Writing "The Odyssey", which the agent loved because it was a sequel to Homer's first hit, "The Iliad" - and "the public loves sequels!"

(smile!) 

The third skit was definitely the favorite of both of us.

Perhaps partly it was because both of us had experience with online dating, back about 17 years ago.

Partly though, I think it was because "I Don't Get Out Much" featured two authors we both liked: Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson.

Kudos to Jeff Harding and Kelsey Ingram for bringing them to life so well!

In the skit, her younger sister had set up an online dating profile for her that matched the two death-obsessed poets, with the ideal first-date meeting place as a cemetery.

And I contend that the two might have met, as both lived in Massachusetts and both were alive in an overlapping time frame.

What if, when his wife died in 1847, when he was 38 years old, he had been approached about meeting with the 17-year-old poetess?

From his viewpoint, she would be the right age, as he and his wife had wed when she was only 13; from her stance, younger women frequently were set up with older men as possible husbands.

Perhaps Poe might have lived a bit longer if he'd had Dickinson in his life.

As it was, he died in 1849, just 40 years old.

Dickinson never married and died in 1886 as a 55-year-old spinster.

Ah, the thoughts I think sometimes!

(smile!) 

After an intermission, "From The Wastepaper Basket of W. Shakespeare" had us all laughing!

Four women took turns unfolding the rumpled papers from the trash can, revealing that spam mail has lasted through the centuries!

"Dear Occupant", "Dear Tenant", "Dear Resident" - hahahaha!

Plus there were missives from his mom, his 'shrew', his mistress!

Also entreaties from his buddies to join them at this pub, that eatery, his play!

Then there were the dunning notices about late rent, late utility payments, late this, that, and the other.

But there were also the rejection letters from theaters, other troupes, other venues in other towns, with several suggesting "Hamlet" was terrible, and such a terrible name it had, too!

Yes, that was much fun, enlightened by having four voices!

(smile!)

"Penguin Encounter" was the only other play that didn't have an actual writer as one of the characters.

It was also the most modern, even though it didn't feature any technology.

Instead, we watched as a former couple, 'Ernie' and 'Rita' meet at a library that is giving away remaindered books that had been donated by the publisher.

As remaindered products, all of the books were missing half their front covers, to prevent them from being sold.

'Ernie' (Tony Castellano) had discovered to his delight that the half-covers led to some very funny puns, like "A Tale Of... Charles" and "Jane... Mansfield" and "Gone With The... Margaret" - hahahaha!

Eventually, 'Rita' (Chancey Doyle) loosened up and got into the game, too, finding one she knew he would like - "A Farewell To... Ernest" - but he was already gone.

That was quite a bittersweet ending that I rather liked.

(smile!) 

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday evening, and for only $10!

Hopefully, their next show at the Richmond Hill City Center will be a matinee, as neither of us like driving in the dark.

But my sweet little Saturn wanted to let me know that this had been one of those "right place, right time" instances.

The mileage on the odometer when I parked in my driveway?

247568... sure looks like a winning poker hand to me!!!

(smile!) 

equinox during a thunderstorm!

Not any ordinary equinox, but a fabulous one!

Just look at their travel van - it's gorgeous!

And who might they be?

The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra!

I've seen them before with the Savannah Jazz Festival, but their shows are usually out of my budget these days.

Truth to tell, I was conflicted about going tonight, but I finally decided that Dane would want me to go and enjoy myself.

Thanks, you crazy dog!

The man standing up is Jeremy Davis, the band-leader, songwriter, and tenor sax player in this orchestra.

He even sang one of his own songs during the concert!

"Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled" is based on a Bible verse, which makes it quite apropos here at Asbury Memorial Church.

Beautiful!

This fellow is Clay Johnson, his best friend since the 7th grade.

For the most part, Clay is the entertainer and lead singer, though he also plays a trombone.

That's how the two met in Louisiana - both were taking band, both were in the same classes, and their moms decided they should be friends.

Pretty sweet story!

The concert tonight was titled "Broadway To Bourbon Street" and it was absolutely full of show tunes that I knew and loved!

I know the sanctuary would have been full if not for the wrong ticket purchase link being posted on facebook.

That means most of the faces were familiar and were Asbury members, too.

I guess the good part of that was I sat right behind the Townsend family - Karen, B-man, Mickie, and Bob - and they cheered the loudest when the guys said they were from their home state... and one was even from Mickie's hometown!

Clay and Jeremy said that was the first time they got a cheer for that town!

The above photo was taken after Clay had brought out his trombone for the last two numbers, all jazzy and straight from New Orleans!

They even led a parade of the brass section into the audience!!!

Woohoo!!!

What a thrilling two hours, made even more exciting as lightning flashed in the church windows!!!

All the rain was done by the time the concert ended, making it a cooler evening for those of us all jazzed up by the tunes!

There was no program, but I kept track of the songs.

Yes, I did!

Here's the setlist.

*****

Oh, What A Beautiful Evening
(paraphrase of song from "Oklahoma!")

Lullaby of Broadway

The Road To Hell - from Hadestown!!!!

Such A Lot Of Living To Do - from Bye Bye Birdie

The Street Where You Live

Step Out Of The Sun - from Dear Evan Hansen

God Bless America 

- talk of Sept 11, 2001 on this 25th anniversary  - 

b'way had folks singing this when they reopened, so, we all sang it tonight

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled
written by Jeremy - based on Bible verse that starts "Peace be with You"

9 To 5

tribute to Dolly Parton

Edelweiss - from The Sound Of Music

My Funny Valentine
instrumental ONLY! w Jeremy on his sax! gorgeous!

When You're A Jet
Clay in his first role, as Riff in West Side Story -
had to get dance lessons!

Here Comes The Hit Parade - Bourbon Street song start

If I Were A Rich Man - from Fiddler On The Roof
w trombone!!!

Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

Being Alive - from Company

Down On Bourbon Street
w parade into audience!!!

When The Saints Go Marching In