love for earth day ... headed 2 4 lil blondes

 

Three weeks ago, I sent love in the mail going south.

Each of my four great-nieces received two sheets from the 2025 Earth Day celebration, picked up for them in April but never delivered.

One was a coloring sheet, the other had dried water paint squares for them to wet and apply to the picture about recycling.

I forgot to take photos of those, but I remembered for this second set.

 

Both are sheets to color in with the plethora of crayons they own.

The upper one is a general scene of wetlands, featuring several types of birds, and reminds me of the Jepson's missing katniss.

The second photo is of a gopher tortoise, the same creature that stars in this year's outdoor exhibit of local art in the windows on Barnard Street. 

That exhibit had not yet been revealed when I attended Earth Day at Daffin Park in April.

Right place, right time, that had been! 

These two coloring pages have lots of information for the girls to read.

For the younger C-A-L-M girls, they will need a little help with the words, but the twins, being older and headed to fifth grade, can assist their cousins.

That's what family does!

(smile!)

happy bday79, Carolyn!

I'm glad there was even a nice cake for you!

 

I was glad to take you to Jason's Deli for dinner and, of course, to let you get the strawberry shortcake.

 

Thankfully, you saved it to eat when you got home!

 

Of course, that was partly because we closed the joint down!

 

We spent so long talking at AMC after the movie that we ran out of options for a place to dine together.

 

I'm so glad I found out you were going to the 4:45 PM screening of "The Bad Guys 2"!

 

I'd just stepped out of the 2 PM showing of that very movie when I texted you for your birthday and you responded with your plans.

I'm so glad I decided to stay and wait for you!

 

The smile on your face when you saw my car still in the parking lot was proof I was in the right place at the right time!

 

I'm so glad my A*List was so bare that I could stay and see the movie again with you, sharing laughter!

 

i thank You, God, for this time together!

coming at me from all angles

Change has been hitting me hard this month.

I have lost Medicaid's medical assistance with my Medicare Part B premium.

Remember that I was waiting for my application to be reviewed?

It turns out the problem had been that the person in charge at Medicare had not assigned my application to a caseworker.

I found out when I called the caseworker who handled my previous application for medical benefits.

She immediately contacted her boss, who made sure someone was assigned toot suite, and their decision came within a day of all that.

That decision had been "no", unfortunately.

Not because of my monthly income, mind - that is $500 below the maximum allowed threshold for Medicaid.

No, the problem is with the little amounts in my two IRAs, the amounts I cannot access because those certificates are not yet at their maturity date.

Georgia still regards that as cash assets... even though they aren't. 

That denial of medical assistance through Medicaid means I've also lost anything that the Dual Advantage Medicare plan would have paid.

So, not only am I will I continue to be out the $185 for the monthly premium, as I have been since May when I was waiting for the application to be reviewed, but I'm also on the hook for the $300 for the teeth cleaning.

I spent 45 minutes on the phone with my UHC Healthcare Navigator, Teal, about all of this hot mess and my upcoming dental visits for the cavities.

She tried to find remedies for me, but most of those sources are geared for helping children, not seniors.

However, she did hook me up with Lisa at UHC so I could get out of that Dual Advantage plan and into something better.

Lisa has me set up with the Patriot plan, the one I've been on for the past two years, but with a difference.

This one pays more of my monthly premium, though it will not have the over-the-counter perks I've had in the past.

Still, that trade-off is to my financial benefit.

She also had me sign up for the dental rider that will pay for my trip to the dentist in September.

I already know the charge for those two fillings will be almost $700; the cost of the dental rider is $54 per month and can be canceled at any time.

So, after I get the fillings installed and that bill paid by the rider, I'll cancel and only be out the two months of cost for the rider.

It's still going to be money flowing out of my pocket, but just a dribble, not a torrent.

Better, but not great.

That leads to the letter I received yesterday from the VA.

It told me my PCP, NP Susan Barker, has retired.

Not that she "is retiring", but that she has retired.

I cried when I told that to my nutritionist at our meeting today.

The letter did not say who will be my new PCP.

Nor do I know the status of the Community Care Authorizations that I've been awaiting for my mammogram and my cardiologist.

Hardest of all has been the lack of notification directly from Ms. Barker.

I had my 6-month appointment with her just last week, on the 22nd.

She had not mentioned her retirement at all.

She did hustle me out to get the Referral For Services form from Dr. Cobb's office... but she said nothing about her no longer being at the VA Center.

I'm very sad about her leaving.

Very sad.

At least AMC has a 2 PM screening with Wolf, Snake, Shark, Tarantula, and Piranha in their latest caper.

I hope that will help lift my spirits. 

at the movies with cc-east!

That's my acronym for Compassion Christian-East!

I was talking about acronyms earlier with Ivan and Peyton.

They were unfamiliar with the word, but they've go it now!

(smile!) 

Tonight was the last screening in their "At The Movies" summer series.

We only got 4 weeks this year, instead of 6, but it's been a good bunch.

It's been me, Smitty, and Mary these past two movies, as Tony's family has preferred pool time while the two kids are here.

They've missed two sports-themed films.

Tonight's feature was "Forrest Gump", so the marquee talked about 'running', and 'showing up', and 'loving'.

All are definitely words that describe the character played by Tom Hanks!

The film clips we saw concentrated on the love line between 'Forrest' and 'Jenny', but with intersections of 'Bubba', 'Lt. Dan', and, towards the end, their son.

The message was about showing grace toward others, even through simple gestures.

The first was when 'Jenny', as a child on the school bus, said to newcomer 'Forrest': "You can sit here if you want."

The second was when 'Bubba', as a fellow soldier on the bus off to the battle zone in Vietnam, said to late entry 'Forrest': "You can sit here if you want."

Small things truly do carry much weight.

My favorite thing, though, was all the letter-writing that 'Forrest' did.

"Love in the mail," that's what I call it. 

(smile!)

The unspoken message in tonight's sermon was about accepting others as they were, differences and all, just as Jesus did to those in his life.

In particular, this film was about accepting someone with mental and physical handicaps because, as with last week's film, we are all stronger together.

Last Wednesday CC-E gave us "Remember The Titans", a biographical sports story about two football coaches, one black (Denzel Washington) and one white (Will Patton), at a small school in Virginia that was having a serious problem with racial bias.

The year was 1971, the same year that Savannah had problems with that same issue in our schools, as the school zones had been redrawn by the politicians to allow for more diversity in all of the public schools.

I was in middle school and got beat up and kicked on the ground by a group of black students from Savannah High.

Why had they done that?

Simply because I was white and didn't make it to safety inside in time.

Mama kept me out of class for a week, sending me back with Mace in my pocket.

Fortunately, I never had to use it.

Anyway, back to the movie: the school had the black coach take over the football team, and his task was to turn them into a blended force.

He did so by assigning them to rooms together while training, making sure each pair consisted of one white and one black, and thereby ensuring they would have to get to know each other one on one, not as a group.

That made the difference.

Prejudice cannot live outside a nameless, faceless, group.

The guys all found they were stronger together, that their diversity unified them.

What a great message!

Diversity is what unifies us...

as it did for the hobbits, elves, dwarves, and wizards in the first movie...

as it did for the differently-talented people in the second movie...

as it did for the blacks and whites in the movie about the Titans...

as it did for all who interacted with the slow boy from Alabama.

Our differences make us whole.

 

i thank You, God, for this series of sermons and movies.

A fresh perspective always is a benefit.

Time with family is, too. 

stepping out on amc with ncg

"What does that mean? Does the NCG Cinema have a special movie-goer's deal like AMC's A*List?"

 

It does not, but the dances over there have been much more enticing!

 

"What does that mean??"

 

AMC seems to expect me to keep doing the same few twirls over and over, week after week, without bringing in something new to tempt my tootsies. I guess they're trying to please the horror fans more than anyone else right now. I've only seen one movie with my A*List, and it, like the last two I had, aren't anything I care to ever repeat. However, NCG is more than willing to give me something that moves my groove thing! I was just there this morning, for the third time this week, and I most def danced!!! Ivan and Peyton didn't, but that was their choice.

 

"Oh, those are Laura's visiting grandkids, right?"

 

Correct! Today was the last Summer Camp flick, so they went to "Shrek The Third" with me. But they didn't dance during the end credits. I sure did! Gotta dance to Sly & The Family Stone!!! Ivan did shuffle a bit, but not her.

 

"Hey, she's 11, she's already 5'4", and she would terrify Sheldon Cooper with her pale skin and red hair combination. I'm sure she mostly tries not to draw attention to herself. Your dancing self probably had her trying to shrink out of sight!"

 

Yeah, I'm sure you're right... but I danced anyway! Then we three dined at Cici's. This is their last week in Savannah, so I wanted to spend a bit more time with them. Glad I did!

"So, what else have you seen at NCG?"

 

This was on Monday! I passed on Music Bingo to check out the $5 Mystery Movie, and I am so glad I did! It was one I've been looking forward to, called "Sketch", and it was fabulous!!! True, it was a little scary at first, but I hung in there, as did the kids in the audience, and we were all thrilled with the end!!!

 

"That's the one about the little girl whose mom died, right?"

 

Yes, that's right. The girl always loved drawing, but now her images have become monsters, not Butt-erflies. That was an inside joke with her mom, see?

 

"Oh, that's cute! And sad, too."

 

Right, it was both, a bittersweet concoction. I very much liked it and look forward to seeing it again.

 

"I'm sure you do! But you need to clarify something. You said you'd been over at NCG three days running, but you're missing Tina Tuesday."

 

It isn't missing, just not touched upon yet! Patience, dearie! I'd even asked Sandy to go with me for it, but she'd had a busy day and wasn't up for a 9:05 PM flick.

 

"That late?!"

 

The cinema only had two screenings a day of "Oh, Hi!" and I missed the matinee. Now worries, as this was 6-buck movie day there! I liked the premise, so I'd taken a chance... and I loved the movie! Very modern, very hip, thirty-something rom-com, with a side of bdsm thrown in for good measure - hahahaha!!! It must be a sleeper, 'cause the place should have been packed. As it was, I found out afterward that Linda G - the woman I used to volunteer at the Lucas with and who shows up at many of the same events I do - was sitting right behind me the whole time! I need to make it a point to get her phone number so we can maybe deliberately be at the same things.

 

"Yes, you should definitely do that. You have a gap in your social circle that needs filled, so just do it already!"

 

I will, I promise. (smile!) As for that movie, I can't say I know who Molly Gordon or Logan Lerman are, but they worked well off each other as the leads, 'Iris' and 'Isaac'. However, it's John Reynolds I want to see more of! He played the boyfriend of the bff of 'Iris' and I loved every minute of his screen time!!! He reminds me so much of Jason Segel, who I've loved for a couple of decades. I hope I can see Reynolds in something else soon!

 

"I hope you do, too. All of those actors seem to be hot in the streaming services. Maybe Peacock will pick up their series."

 

We'll see! Fingers crossed!

billy billie bill

 

And my birthday celebration just keeps going!

Late last week, Tybee Post Theater rewarded me for being "a loyal follower", gifting me two free tickets to a concert. 

Woot woot!!!

That's 58 dollars of free entertainment... and I could bring a friend! 

Happy bday67!!!

Fortunately, mi amiga Sandy was glad to go with me - hooray!!!

Happy bday 57 to her!!!

Did it matter that neither of us knew Jacob Khalil, the pianist?

Nope, not one bit!

We both love that he was to play music "from Billy Joel to Billie Eilish" 'cause we both know many of their songs!

And when he started off with "Just The Way You Are", we were thrilled!

I was even more elated when he followed that with "Vienna"!!!

The only time I ever hear that is when I sing it at karaoke, and it's one of my favorite Billy Joel tunes - even if it was just the B-side to that first song tonight.

(smile!)

The pianist followed that with another I knew by heart: "Lovely Day", by Bill Withers, and i swear he was looking at me, in F-18, the whole time.

That's because I'd been singing along with everything so far!!!

He switched it up with two from Elton John.

"Rocket Man" had me singing and dancing in my seat!

 

And "Your Song" - well he left me in tears with that one.

Sam Johnson would either sing that to me or request that I sing it at karaoke.

I knew Jacob Khalil was looking at me then, as he wiped away tears, too, as he took a few moments after the end.

Time to bounce back with a Beatles tune about looking for 'Mary Jane'!

Yes, that got the good times vibe back in the house!

"I Won't (Give Up)" was his very own song and helped slide the musical time scale into this century.

Two more from so-called 'divas' - "Birds Of A Feather" from Billie Eilish, then "Levitating" from Dua Lipa" kept it solidly there until the break. 

Magnificent!!!

They returned to the stage with "Valerie", a song that I thought was much older than it turned out to be. 

Only from 2006? Really???

Then we got the debut song from Billie Eilish tune, as well as a the debut song from Britney Spears - very nicely done with his fresh takes!

Time for another one of his own tunes, "Rest Of My Life", with us all singing along for the chorus - loved that!

And he finished up with a sing-along of "Piano Man", flashing us right back to the 1970's where the concert music began - perfect!!!

Kudos to Ethan Marsh on bass and Robert Saunders on drums!

(smile!) 

As we told the piano man afterward, we had loved his refashioning of the songs, the way he made them sound new yet still familiar.

He loved that!

We kept talking about the music all the way home and while we ate.

She and I stopped off at Carey Hilliard's on Skidaway to cap off our evening with dinner.

We took her car, with me driving there and back, as it has air conditioning.

That's because we had a triple-digit high today... and that was without including the +15 for the heat index.

I'm glad that weather nonsense didn't keep us from an evening out!

What a marvelous cool treat on this hot summer night!

(smile!)

summer potluck in the 'hood!

 

Did I say "in the 'hood"?

I did, because that's where the party was!

See that young woman blessing the food?

That's Joan Thompson, the organizer of this fete at Forrest Hills.

She's standing with her neighbors, Sara and Kenneth, as well as two of her kids.

This shot has two of the people I sat with and got to know for an hour.

They're Lori and Josh, from Guam, and she made the chicken dish (like Nam Sod) and the beef (like Larb Na) that I so enjoy in Thai cuisine.

On my plate, those are  at 5 o'clock and 1 o'clock, along with adobo cucumbers, red rice, pancit, lima beans, smoked pork butt, and white peach cobbler.

The butt was cooked this morning by Dallas, husband of Joan, and it was yummy, but the cobbler I went back for seconds!

That was made by my other table mate, Jessie.

Get this: she and Lori were both in the health field, so we talked about college and chemistry and nursing!

We also talked about our travels in the world!

I had been concerned about coming alone, as I didn't know any of these people, but then I wound up sitting with people that were like me!

Right place, right time!

I'm so glad I walked over there on this hot day and took a chance!

(smile!)

un otro cumpleaños en Jalapeños!

 

Another Friday Fiesta with the Smiths & Kamerons, another birthday celebration, for the third time this month!

First was my brother Smitty's bday65...

then came Robin's bday63...

and now it was Josh's bday36!

His birthday will be on Sunday, but this was his first celebration of that life event!

How wonderful to help him mark the day!

Very good that he could be with his mom, Laura, for this event, as well as two of his three kids.

The summer is quickly coming to an end and school beckons to them.

That means if I'm going to do anything with them, I need to do it this coming week!

Maybe they'll want to go to "Shrek The Third" at the NCG Summer Camp...

that would be a lovely outing for us!

Maybe we'll even go to Cici's afterward!

(smile!)

in reflection

For the second time this month, I've made a mistake about the date of an event.

The first time was last week, when I showed up for an AARP event, absolutely sure that it was scheduled for Friday, the 18th.

That party won't be held until Friday, August 8th.

Sheesh.

Then, today, I went to the Jepson at noon for a Lunch & Learn that included a performance by the artist featured in the (Un)Grounded exhibit.

Nope, that won't happen until August 29th.

Seriously.

I didn't let it stop me from having a day at the museum!

After all, I already had 90 minutes on the parking meter.

(smile!) 

I'd not visited the "In Reflection: Contemporary Art And Ourselves" exhibit.

How appropriate that I take a few moments there, n'est-ce pas?

Maybe pull together my mental faculties?

Yes.

And as I perused the various and varied works there, I was stopped in my tracks by her.

Isn't she magnificent?!

Pulled together from odd bits and pieces reclaimed from the environment, 'she' is "Black Girl on Skateboard Going Where She's Got to Go to Do What She's Got to Do and It Might Not Have Anything to Do With You, Ever."

Yes, ma'am, you go on your merry way with your bad self!!!

(smile!) 

The artist, born in 1976, is vanessa german - and, yes, that's all lower-case.

 I wouldn't mind seeing more of her sassy works!

 

Feeling better about my mind, I immediately went to another work in the same space, as it reminded me of my brother Smitty.

It was untitled, but done tongue-in-cheek as a joke for other artists.

See, it was the custom for some to put their art on the floor, not the wall.

Get it?

Instead, she'd done this pseudo-parquet piece, for display on the wall.

I found it hilarious!

While making a note of her name, though, I was stuck.

Was her first name really "Slyvia"???

I checked with the room monitor, just in case.

She came over and checked the label, too, and found it was incorrect.

The artist is actually Sylvia Mangold and she is known for these "representational depictions of interiors".

Here's the thing: this exhibit has been up since April 25th...

and I was the only one to catch the typo in her name.

Kudos to me!

The room monitor reported it while I was there.

(smile!)

Another piece I really liked was on four huge sheets of paper.

It seems that Rocio Rodriguez got started drawing and just kept adding another blank as she went along.

I liked it because it reminds me of my scribble flowers!

I like the idea of my art having made it onto the walls of the museum!

In fact, this particular piece belongs to the Telfair, so it will likely be on one wall or another for years to come. 

(smile!) 

The odd thing was the title: "February 3, 2005". 

Was she marking the date that Alberto Gonzalez was approved by the Senate and sworn in as the first Hispanic named as Attorney General in US history?

Perhaps so.

As a 53 year old Hispanic woman, seeing a Hispanic person rise to that position in the federal government would have been a unique event.

This piece may have been crafted as the pomp and circumstance that she would have deemed the situation warranted.

Once in a lifetime events deserve special recognition.

(Yes, I did include one such that should never be repeated.)

 

After I left the Jepson, I considered going to the Telfair's basement to visit a few of my favorite statues, as I do for my birthday visits, but there really wasn't enough time to do it justice.

(Just us tripping out a little pun!)

Instead, I sat on a bench (another judge joke!) for more than ten minutes.

It truly was a 'blue true dream of sky' day that e.e. cummings celebrated in his poetry and would have loved.

And here was this ancient oak, with its 'leaping greenly spirit' draped with Spanish moss gently swaying in the slight breeze - so awesome!

Happy bday67 to me, still, almost two months later.

Right time, right place, after all. 

(smile!)

trips to los angeles? yes, please!

AMC is offering three sweepstakes with nearly identical prizes... and all three involve travel to California!!!

The Last Heist Of The Summer Sweepstakes is in conjunction with "The Bad Guys 2" movie.

The winner gets a 4-day/3-night trip, including airfare and hotel accommodations for FOUR, as well as a 5-hour tour of the town, for tickets to an escape room adventure, and $500 to spend.

WOW!!!

The Hollywood Escape Sweepstakes is associated with the remake of "The Naked Gun", featuring Liam Neeson in a comedic turn.

The winner gets a 3-day/2-night trip, including airfare and hotel accommodations for TWO, as well as Paramount Pictures Studio VIP tour for two, admission for two to the law enforcement museum, admission for two to a live taping of a late-night show, and $1000.

WOW!!!

The Freakier L.A. Sweepstakes is brought by the folks behind Disney's "Freakier Friday", featuring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan again.

The winner gets a 4-day/3-night trip, including airfare and hotel accommodations for TWO, private 8-hour tour of the city, travel voucher from airport to hotel, travel voucher from hotel to tour, restaurant credit near the hotel, and $500 to spend.

WOW!!! 

Honestly, I'm good for any of the three!

Speaking of that number, that's how many dances were on my A*List.

"Superman" was fabulous to see again, and I watched it right before my PCP appointment at the Savannah VA.

The nurse, Sarah, is new to the area and didn't know about Tina Tuesdays and discounted tickets all day and all night at all the cinemas around here.

Glad I could enlighten her on that!

The other two were a double header today, and what a mixed bag!

"Smurfs" was a bit better than expected, with its talking Tribbles and the Inside Out names of the girl's six companions. 

On the other hand, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" was unabashedly baby-centric, which I had not expected and did not like. 

Seriously, why would anyone go to a superhero flick featuring pregnancy???

Nope, that's a one-and-done for me, and don't bother with the next one.

That's the second of three films this year with Pedro Pascal, including "Materialists" and the upcoming "Eddington".

He is a man of diverse talents, I grant him that. 

I just wish he was more selective with his choices.

not the usual fare at tybee

"What's that? Did you go to one of the staged readings they've been having at the Tybee Post Theatre?"

Nope. This wasn't even something I would have selected on my own. I'd been looking at them in the event listings for months, but not for me... for the physicist. He's been heavy into Eastern mythologies and meditation for about the last three years, at least.

"So you finally put it onto his radar?"

Nope! He texted me yesterday morning and proposed that we attend the "Sound Bath" today. How about that? And when I agreed, he bought the tickets, justthatfast, and we were set to go!

"Holy cow! That qualifies as spontaneous for him!"

Right?! So, at 5 PM he was here to whisk me down there for the 6 PM session with Carol Melton. I had thought he remembered her from Armstrong, but he did not. She worked in IT there and retired in 2016. Leading these experiences in meditation is what she's been doing the last few years. Hence, the huge collection of Tibetan singing bowls she has. She also has an Ocean drum (beads inside a drumhead,  making a sound much like a rain stick), several colorful quartz singing bowls, and even some chimes.

"And is that colorful item on the floor your towel?"

It is! We were to bring a towel and a pillow. She had yoga mats there, so I borrowed one of those, a bright green one to match my lemons shirt. Everyone liked that!

"Am I to understand that you got down on the floor?!?"

Eventually, yes. It took a while for me to talk myself into it. Then I wasn't there long before Carol sensed my unease and encouraged me to choose a seat out in the auditorium. That's when the trouble began. With the yoga mat below me, I couldn't get my footing and ended up falling. Carol and the bfe then helped for my next try, but not before my right knee got bruised from all that leaning on it. Honestly, I should have known better.

"Honestly, you should have. You know you never get down on the floor."

I do. I just felt I owed it to the physicist to give it a try.

"You're not getting weird on him, are you? Please say you aren't."

I am not getting weird on him, I promise. His lifestyle and mine really aren't compatible for coupleship to be a consideration. He's my best friend extraordinaire, now as he has been since 2012. I just wanted to show him by active participation that I respect his choices. And I want to emphasize that I did enjoy this! Carol had dimmed all the lights and I closed my eyes from where I sat in the front row, letting the various tones she pulled from the instruments wash over me for the duration. I'm pretty sure I even fell asleep!

"What? You must have gotten pretty mellow for that to happen."

As I told the bfe, I felt like I'd had a massage, but without a stranger touching me. That was great! He was a bit surprised about that, but he didn't question it.

"That's interesting, given y'all's history, but he just may bring it up some other time. He was busy driving when you were saying that. Driving is not something he does for fun."

True. He didn't bring it up during dinner at Chipotle's, either. I talked about Carol's former teaching at Armstrong, as well as her being part of the Asbury Memorial family. Then I talked about seeing Kate at Bonnie's party, as I knew he knew Kate and her husband Chris. It turned out that he hasn't seen her in several years. I told him, too, about Scott's loss of Axel and me being able to refer him to Fox and Weeks, as they took such good care of his two old lady cats, Contessa and Chloe. By that time in the evening, the rain that started as we got to the restaurant had eased up. Time for him to go check on Emily the Cat!

"Nice segue!"

Thanks! And guess what? He had misplaced his phone in his apartment. We had talked about that earlier, with me assuring him I had done that many times. I also told him that every time I did lose the device, I'd think, "Oh, I should call Christina and have her call me so I can find it"... lol!!! Anyway, as he returned my towel and pillow, I suggested I could call him and maybe he could find his phone. "Great idea!", he said, then jumped in his car to head for home! Vroom!!!"

"Hahahaha! I can just picture him doing that! And were y'all successful?"

We were! I called several times, letting it ring through, waiting for him to pick up, waiting a few minutes between calls. At last, he answered! The phone had slipped off the counter and into the trash bin below. Good thing he hadn't thrown out the bag yet!

"Indeed! That's a funny and fitting end to the evening!"

Yes it was! And he said he'd heard the phone vibrate four times before he found it. I told him I was sure I'd called five times. Well, I was mistaken, as I said in my text just now. "You were right! There were 4 calls, not 5. Like when the Borgs tried to mess with Picard."

"Leave him with a laugh! Very good!"

 

hot and wet with a dip!

Hahahaha!!!

Okay, raise your hand if you thought that was a dirty title?

C'mon, you know you did!!!

That's okay, I was just punning a bit of fun with words.

Words about what?

The weather, of course.

Summer rain is forecast for every day this week,  as well as some blistering heat until the rain falls or the the sun goes down.

Well, except for hump day, that is.

It'll be wet, too, but dipping ten degrees cooler than today.

Bear in mind that the +12 heat index still applies to all temperatures. 

All in all, I'll get scant yard work done.

 

However, it still made for good times with the gang at Midtown Sports Grill!

I decided before I got there to try out the giant pretzel - what a monster!

Sandy was barely visible across the table from me.

And what about that sauce in the bowl?

That's beer cheese, and it's very, very, very salty.

Codi had to bring me a second glass of ice water to wash it down.

Srsly.

I ended up taking a third of my pretzel home as well as half of Marcia's.

Those are destined for ribollita in the future, either by scratch or cheating with Progresso soup!

And how did I fare at Music Bingo this evening?

I won the fourth game! 

That was all about "Songs that start with C".

That's been the first game I've won in two weeks.

I gave the win to Amanda, so one of her drinks was free.

That's probably why her mom gave me the rest of their pretzel.

(smile!)

Plus, Amanda had brought a new person, Sarah, to join us.

That gave us six at the table, including Sandy and Elissa.

Last week we had seven, as Kathy joined us and Amanda brought her 10-year-old daughter to play.

Our group is definitely growing!

Still, it's just me and Marcia that stand and dance for "YMCA"...

but I think the others are about ready to join us!

(smile!)

And I got home just in time for s2e7 of "The Quiz With Balls"!!!

I hadn't expected Jay Pharaoh to have guests but he did -

Wolf, Snake, Shark, Piranha, and Tarantula!!!

 

Yes, all "The Bad Guys" were there to promo their new movie - hooray!

Wolf even got to say "Release the balls!"!!!

Three times!!!

What a lovely evening this has been, heat, rain, and all!

(smile!)

let's have a musical: part 2

I wasn't going to go for a second musical today, actually, but Rabbi Haas talked me into it.

His summer sermon for us at Asbury Memorial was titled "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

Trust me, that was a much-needed respite from some of the heavy politically-driven rhetoric of late.

His message was this: we are so blessed to live here in the USA, yet we are now rated #27 for 'happiest countries in the world'.

That means the USA is 7 places behind Australia and 3 places behind Lithuania.

That's because we are putting too much emphasis on the wrong things.

We should be enjoying the fresh air here, the clean drinking water, the abundant food sources, life and free discourse with our family and friends - these are all things which are not available worldwide.

However, we take those for granted and choose to stress over temporary things, like who has which political office.

We should be more like his 6-year-old son, he admonished us, and partake in activities that bring us great joy.

I have such gratitude for that message!

I'd meant to be there in person at church, but my alarm had other plans.

Still, I'm so glad to have tuned in and caught it - many thanks to the Rabbi!

(smile!)

"Into The Woods" was the musical on the line.

This time, the Tybee Arts Association was performing and the venue was the Tybee Post Theater, which means it would be pricier than the version seen in February.

Even with the 10% discount granted from the TyPostTh membership, it was twice the cost. 

Ouch.

However, I'd told Henry Dickerson that I would come... so I did, for the last performance of the play at this venue, with him running the lights.

I almost wish I had not gone, as I kept finding myself comparing this play done with adults to that done by children and finding this newer one lacking.

Yes, the costumes were pretty good...

but the stage was considerably shorter in length, meaning the different groups from the fairy tales were scrunched together.

Creative use of lighting tried to offset that, but could only help so much.

 

I did enjoy seeing Gary Shelby, Renee DeRossett, and Joel Caydoff again.

Gary was the 'Narrator' and the Baker's long-lost (and cursed) pa and was his usual funny self.

Renee played 'Milky the Cow' to the hilt, frequently improvising some shuffles to the side as she side-eyed the Baker's Wife or Jack's mother - what a riot!

I really loved those baggy overalls and big hat!  

 

Then there's Joel Caydoff as the 'Big Bad Wolf' - very nice, though I don't understand the name change from when he portrayed the 'Tin Man'.

Whether Caydoff or Cadoff, he's always rock solid!

And, while I'm on this photo, I must congratulate Gabriella Galoni.

As 'Little Red Riding Hood', she had the absolute best skipping ever seen!!!

Seriously.

I sat up in my seat every time she entered the stage, not wanting to miss a single skip from those flying feet!

I only stayed for the first act.

When intermission came, I went.

Part of me felt a little guilty for doing so, given the cost of admittance, but I was following Rabbi Haas' lead.

The first act of the adult version covered the granting of wishes come true for Cinderella, Rapunzel, the Baker, Jack, and Little Red Riding Hood.

However, Act II would show the aftermath -

the "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it" -

and I wasn't interested in those hardships.

I have plenty of that in real life.

Must better, and more satisfying, to have left when I did.

Thanks, Rabbi, for your son's message!

(smile!) 

marshmallows again!

"Oh, no, have you gotten back onto that kick?" 

Not yet, but that may soon be forthcoming. Bonnie and Don just had their Midsummer Hang and marshmallows were again featured!

"Really? Another party? That's twice this year, isn't it?" 

Um, no. Their first one with marshmallows was almost a year ago. Then came Hurricane Helene, throwing a tree into their back yard and generally wrecking things. They've finally gotten all that taken rectified, including rebuilding their shed, setting up a new swing, and buying a new fire pit. Time for s'mores, y'all!

"Hey, I recognize those people! That's Jason Arons watching as Brenda Mattingly and Bonnie roast their marshmallows."

Actually, the women were making the chocolate-graham-mallow treats just before Brenda and John said their adieus. That neatly coincided with the arrival of Kate Strickland, nee Faford, one of the nursing students from my Italian trip in 2012. So good to see her again! Surprisingly, she didn't remember anything about the night in Salerno when our guide's brother took us to the archaeological dig. Right? That had been such a big deal for me, seeing those relics of the Roman baths that had lain beneath the bakery floor!!! No one had a clue until the new owner of the store decided to renovate and found them.

"That's right!!! That was so very cool, tromping around in new ruins! There was even a mosaic down there of some goddess. You need to find those photos. How did that even come up in conversation?"

I was talking with Bonnie, Don, Roberta, Lavon, and Jason, over by the new swing set, and the topic of roads in Savannah came up. Ever since Abercorn was resurfaced, it's an obstacle course to avoid the manhole covers that were left lower than the new road. I brought up the ripples in Drayton Street that have risen about three decades ago and no one knew what I was talking about. They are all young enough to regard those as "always having been there", but I remembered when Drayton was flat. Then we got into a talk about the substrate and the shifting, overlapped, layers of sand and clay in this area and how those layers have been added to in the two centuries since Savannah was built, especially with the addition of multi-story hotels and other structures in the last two decades. I held that those new weights had changed the dynamics of the substrate, resulting in Drayton's ripple.

"And all of that led to the Roman ruins in Salerno?"

Rabbit holes, right? They're not just on the internet! 

"For sure. Hey, that's Don and Roberta in the other photo, right?"

You betcha! And here were Chris and Barbara Gooby, for the second time this week. Kate had just arrived moments before they left for a dinner somewhere. Weekends can be so very busy, you know?

"I do! Plus there are all the musicals going on..."

Right? So many choices for a busy, vibrant, woman!

let's have a musical: part 1

Ever since my triumphant return from the bday67 girls' trip, I've consciously sought out free events for the evenings.

That's partly because of money spent during the trip, but mostly because this is the time of year when property taxes are due. 

So instead of events, I opted for meals out with friends.

I have ended up spending almost $200 on those outings.

Ouch.

Then, on Wednesday, I found out my application for Medical Assistance (i.e., Medicaid to pay my Medicare, Part B, premiums) has been denied.

That's after finding out the teeth cleaning and bite wings are going to be hitting me for $300 instead of being covered by my plan, as that was also to have been paid by Medicaid instead of my Medicare Dual Advantage plan.

Ouch.

I have spent far too much time on the phone about that.

Now, it's Saturday, and I vowed to treat myself to a musical.

 

So I did, with Savannah Children's Theatre having a 5 PM that was perfectly timed.

Their middle school summer camp put on "Disney's Descendants: The Musical" and I was fortunate enough to get one of the last tickets!

i thank You, God.

Plus, it was at the Kennedy Building at Savannah State University, so there was no problem with parking.

i thank You, God.

I really needed this today.

It was a two-act show with lots of sassy children of both the "evils" over on the Isle of the Lost as well as the children of the "goods" in the Kingdom.

i thank You, God, that I was paying attention when the four little blondes ever talked about the TV series this was based upon.

Even so, I had to pay attention during the first act to know who was who.

That made it a perfect distraction from my life.

(smile!)

Kudos to both Tenley Wright and Jamie Doubleday, as 'Mal' and her mother 'Maleficent', both of whom where in full-tilt boogie mode!

Kudos to Ethan Brandon, as 'Ben', son of 'King Beast' and 'Queen Belle', soon to be coronated and wanting to join the Isle back to the Kingdom!

Kudos to Finley Ylisto as 'Evie', bff of 'Mal' and daughter of 'Grimhilde'! 

Kudos to Emily Broom and William Johnston, both playing 'Jay' and 'Carlos', the sons of 'Jafar' and 'Cruella'!

Kudos to Wyatt Williams as 'Jane', the not-so-good daughter of the Fairy Godmother - she was a real rebel rouser!

I'll look forward to seeing them in future productions!

Now, to get home and change shirts before I'm off to a party.

I managed to slop motor oil all over myself when I gave my Saturn a drink.

Arrggghhh!

(smile!) 

the hills are alive!!!

 

So sang Julie Andrews from the very start of "The Sound Of Music"! 

So sang we at Asbury Memorial tonight, keeping pace with her!

How appropriate that this sing-along was in Holliday Hall so Miss Virginia could be there, too, singing with all of us to this classic musical!

I was between Ellie and Robin and it absolutely didn't matter that we were a little pitchy or a bit off-key.

The point was sharing this experience - and that we certainly did!

Mickie Townsend started things off by sharing the story behind a song that led to her 50-year marriage.

She had broken off seeing Bob, as he was studying to be a preacher and she didn't want to be locked into life as a 'preacher's wife'.

Somehow, they were both at the cinema for this movie.

And when the song "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" was done, she knew Bob was 'the one' for her.

He would help her fashion that wifely position into one unique to her.

Bravo to that Louisiana pair!

I'm so glad I was there!

 

Earlier, around 5:15 pm, I'd popped into Jalapenos of Sandfly for the S&K Friday Fiesta and was the very first one there.

That's because its start time had shifted to 5:30 since Addison came home for summer break.

Claudia helped me shift our two tables together and set me up with chips and salsa - perfect!

Tybee Mike came over to see how I was - how very nice!

Then, at last, Smitty and Mary arrived... and had extras along!

Tyler, now 29, was there with little Theo, the Pip - oh, how he's grown!

Plus, Robin had come in from Ellabell, at Laura's request - wonderful!!!

I visited with all for about 40 minutes, then headed out for the party at Asbury.

That was all to the good! 

My brothers had been surprised to see me at all, as I'd told them both on Wednesday that I would be absent.

AARP was hosting a 'Happy Hour Get Together', with food and games and trivia, so that was where I was booked to be!

 

Sadly, that turned out to be a bust.

I was the only one who showed up for that AARP-sponsored soiree at Savannah Technical College.

It was to have started at 4 PM and gone until 7 PM, but the only car in the whole parking lot was my little Saturn.

I had followed all the signs to the promised "Event Parking"... 

but there was no event. 

Eckburg Auditorium was locked tight.

I took a stroll around campus, looking for someone to ask about the situation, but no one was there.

Sure, I hadn't arrived until close to 4:30, but... I was the only one who came.

I persisted in staying for about thirty minutes, hopeful for others.

Nope.

That's when I headed for Sandfly, arriving early but still finding my people. 

Then I'd gone to the sing-along, for food and fellowship and "My Favorite Things", finding more of my people there.

Life is good!

(smile!)