"Those two things don't seem to go together."
Just hang on there! I've not even started talking and you're already making remarks. Can you just chill for a second?
"Can do! Carry on!"
Thank you.
Tonight, One Hundred Miles had its first event in Savannah since June. Wait, I take that back.
This was their first lecture here at this local office since April. There have been two early morning events - hikes - but I didn't make it to those, of course.
"Of course. being somewhere at 8 AM is not your jam."
Correct.
So, I'd been awaiting this Naturalist 101 lecture for months.
Other options came up for my time tonight, like another meeting at Two Firsts and a choral concert at Savannah Country Day, but I stayed true to OHM.
So many choices at this festive time of year!
"For sure! You had several choices for yesterday, too, but you opted for the family gathering for Annaleigh's birth instead. Very good decision!"
Thank you... I'm so glad I was there for that!
If Christina had not called when she did, I would have been downtown for opera, as I have been in the past. Though that would have been nice, being at the hospital for a one-time event was most def the right choice.
I still have no clone, you know.
Perhaps I can get one from Santa!
"Hahahaha! Yes, dear. Your Polar Express seems to have jumped the track. Now, what was this lecture about?"
Titled "Our Coastal Refuges", I was expecting Matthew Emmer to give an inspiring speech to encourage us to go out and enjoy the seven wildlife refuges we have at hand.
Well, maybe not right at hand, but all within a 100-mile radius.
See what I did there? Worked in a reference to OHM?
"Yes, my girl, I caught that."
Good!
He did talk of all the different refuges that are part of the Savannah Coastal Refuges umbrella. I had not realized that included the Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge, Blackbeard Island, an area of Tybee Island, or Wolf Island. I did already know of the Savannah Natural Wildlife Refuge, located in South Carolina, as I have been there. I also knew about Wassau Island, though that is only accessible by boat. Pinckney Island is another with limited access, and that's down to once a week. That may become even more limited, thanks to the current POTUS. The budget cuts imposed by the White House this year have left only 200 employees to manage 573 wildlife refuges throughout the United States.
"Oh, no. Well, that just means unmanned visitor centers, right?"
Not just that, my dear.
It also means a lack of protection for the flora and fauna of those many refuges. Without people there to monitor the lands, invasive species can move in and take over, eradicating the existence of the natural species. Think of kudzu and how prevalent it is. Now, imagine our marshlands overrun with Chinese species of grasses transported unwittingly on ship exteriors. That's the future if the situation doesn't improve.
'Yikes! I'm sure the POTUS doesn't have a clue, blind as he is about science. I doubt he cares, either, as he has a limited shelf-life remaining on this planet."
Sad, but true about the 79-year-old man.
"Well, I hope the whole lecture wasn't a downer."
No, it wasn't, but I was glad to have chosen to watch it on fb instead of IRL. That meant that afterwards I was free to watch "Georgie & Mandy" and "Ghosts", both of which were very good! Then I caught Jimmy Fallon's "Christmas Seasonings" special and enjoyed his brand of zaniness and all his musical guests, like the Jonas Brothers and the Rockettes. Very entertaining!
"Most excellent! Good to get your spirits back up!"
Then I chose to watch "Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune", mostly because it had Taye Diggs as a contestant. I've felt much closer to him ever since he was part of "The Real Full Monty", that TV special Anthony Anderson put together last year. Him and Ethan Hawke especially impressed me with that fundraiser for prostate cancer awareness.
I also recognized Sebastian Maniscalco. Did you know he and Ryan Seacrest are both 51 years old? That means they're within a year in age of the physicist!
"Yes, he was 52 last month."
I don't usually tune in for "CWOF", but I'm glad I did this time.
As they were guessing the puzzles to determine who would go first for the last round, "On The Map" was the category.
Taye Diggs got every one of them, including the third, one that's close to my heart: The Island Of Misfit Toys.
Right place, right time.
(smile!)
"Most definitely. (smile!)"
No comments:
Post a Comment