blonde roots + anesthesia = inside joke

"What's that dear? I'm guessing it must be tied in with your colonoscopy earlier today. Am I close?"

Oh, you're almost spot on! See, Dr. Craig's office recommended that I wear something that would be easy to put on after the procedure. Knowing that my first niece would be in charge of me, I decided to put her in charge of my ID, too. That's because I wanted to wear my flowing green dress, which has zero pockets.

"You mean she lost your stuff??"

Oh, no, Christina Ann is actually responsible for me finally finding it! We were sitting in the parking lot at the Carey Hilliard's on Skidaway, in her van, during a rainstorm. That was after spending at least 30 minutes in my driveway, pulling everything out from under her front seats, pulling every little thing out of the center console, even searching the back seat. The little 'wallet' in which I keep my ID and such was nowhere to be found. That's why we had returned to the restaurant, to check the ground, to check inside to see if it had been turned in. After we had exhausted every possibility, she looked under the passenger visor - nope, not there. In the glovebox? Nope. What the fresh hell??? Then she asked, "Do you think it might be in your bra?" So I stuck my hand in there... and there it was.

"Seriously? You didn't remember putting it there? Girl, that's hilarious!"

(Sigh) All my anesthesia brain remembered was that my left thumb had held the 'wallet' on top of my to-go box. I'd placed it all - or so I thought - in that center console while I got settled in the passenger seat. The next thing I knew, I looked on top of the to-go box and my 'wallet' was gone. I was sure it would turn up inside the console!

"Wow."

It wasn't until my hand touched it in my bra that I remembered, oh so dimly, placing it there so it wouldn't get knocked off the box. Why I hadn't put it with my keys in the side door pocket I have no idea. I felt like such a blonde, even though those blonde roots have been invisible for decades.

"And how did she react?"

She didn't laugh at me, so that was good. She did give me some grief about it, though, once we got back to my house. It's our inside joke now. "Is your wallet in your bra?" "Did you check your bra?"

"She's such good people."

Yes, she is. She's only just now left. I ate some blueberry yogurt, with some of those wild blueberries from Georgetown, to help get my gastrointestinal tract back into working order. That SuPrep has had murky yellow liquid making its way out of me at odd times. I think some fiber is in order for dinner. Let me see if I can find something along those lines. Then it'll be an early bedtime this evening.

"That sounds like a winner. Sweet dreams, dear." 

not going lytely this time around

Not that I've been given a choice about which colonoscopy preparation solution I would like to toss down my gullet today.

Maybe things have changed since I last had this exploration for polyps and the solution will actually be tasty.

Somehow, I doubt it.

I think it's more a matter of different doctors having their own preferences.

Dr. Craig prescribed the SuPrep solution, so that's what the pharmacists in Charleston has sent for me.

This is to be taken twice, not once.

The first time will be at 5 PM, though I somehow doubt it will seem like a 'happy hour' cocktail.

One of the 8-ounce bottles will go into the mixing container, to be added to 8 ounces of water, then drunk.

Another two 16-ounce volumes of water are to be drunk within an hour.

Then, tomorrow, I get to repeat all that at 5 AM. 

Oh, joy.

I've already been peeing more than usual, as I haven't had anything solid to eat since dinner yesterday.

That was a delicious 'big salad' (as 'Elaine' of "Seinfeld" would order), with lots of tuna, using the Publix Makoto Honey Ginger package.

Truly was marvelous! 

Ten years ago, I drank the Go Lytely stuff and then rode the shuttle from the Savannah VA Center to the Ralph Johnson VA Hospital in Charleston, where I had the colonoscopy as well as the surgery for the carpal tunnel in my left hand.

Christina was up in Summerville, South Carolina, visiting her boyfriend, so she came to the hospital to pick me up and bring me home to Savannah.

Amazingly, she will be coming to my rescue again on Monday!

She'll be dropping off her girls for their annual camp at the Fresh Air Home at Tybee Beach, so she won't need to make a special trip to town.

i thank You, God.

And what shall I do to pass the time today in between trips to void my bladder and my intestinal tract?

Well, Comcast has given me a $1 movie rental, and I chose "Merrily We Roll Along", a musical from last year - hooray!

It's based on the eponymous Stephen Sondheim musical from 1981.

I've already watched it once and am quite pleased with Daniel Radcliffe's work.

No wonder he won a Tony for that role in 2023 when the musical was revived on Broadway - good for him!

I already had an item to help the time pass, though: a baseball game!

This will pit the Savannah Bananas against the Savannah Party Animals.

The venue is Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon... LOL!

Why does that make me giggle?

Well, it will be one of those right place, right time moments for me.

My first husband, Keith Schiller, called that town his home and I got to visit it, for the first and only time, when we returned to the States from Galeta Island in Panama.

Wouldn't it be funny if he was there watching the game, too?

Hahahaha!

campamento de verano con concierto y circo

"Que pasa, chica? Algo con la musica?"

Si, mi amiga! Hoy y el viernes fui al Starcastle para dos de las actuaciones de los niños. Muy bueno!

"Okay, this is getting too complex for my rusty high-school Spanish. Let's switch to our native tongue, shall we? I'm guessing this has to do with the Savannah Children's Theatre?"

Yes, that's right! I thought I'd see what the 3A and 3B summer campers learned this past week. I'm very impressed!! I hadn't realized they had shows until I checked the website. Both of these were productions I'd not seen before, so that's why I wanted to go.

"3A? 3B?"

The 3B group was about thirty 2nd to 8th-graders. They performed a Broadway Junior Revue called "Raise Your Voice" and went to the Friday night showing of that. They did songs from shows I've never heard of before, as well as some favorites. There were two boys - Langston Patterson and Oliver Bossak - who did "Agony" from "Into The Woods" and they were having such fun with it!!!

"Most excellent! I know how much that one makes you smile!" 

Another one that had me singing along and smiling was "Matchmaker" from "Fiddler On The Roof"! Two of the little girls danced with their brooms while the third tried to explain how matchmaking worked. It was very funny when they realized they might get an old fat man instead of a young handsome dude!

"Hahahaha! I'm sure that was quite humorous!"

Oh, yes! The three girls were Jameson Mock, Briley Rose-Robinson, and Gracelyn Estridge, not that I know which had each role. They certainly interacted well with each other!

"And these kids only had a week of practice? Incredible!"

I totally agree! And this afternoon I went to the final performance for "Circus Camp". Those kids were in 5th to 12th grade. They did everything from working on the silk ropes to hanging on the lyra to twirling hula hoops and telling jokes!

"Lyra? You mean the hanging rings?"

Yes, that's right, and some of them were very good. I especially liked the older kids as they climbed and flipped on the silks to "Put On A Happy Face". Then, later, they used the lyra and performed to that Lana Del Ray song, "Summertime Sadness". That was just incredible and almost brought tears to my eyes. I think that was partly because it made me think of the physicist. He really likes that song.

"Yes, I remember. Who were the performers for those?" 

Hayden Linstroth, Charlie Smith, Anna Woods, and B. Cela. I'm pretty sure I've seen them in some recent plays, too. I'm glad they took this camp to broaden their areas of expertise.

"That's true. You never know what skills may be called for on stage."

Plus, some of the shows make use of those tools.

"So, what was it about jokes?" 

Ah, yes! That was during the song "Surfin' U.S.A." by the Beach Boys! All 21 of the campers were onstage, using hula hoops in unusual ways and just generally hamming it up! It was clear they really enjoyed themselves for this last performance of this show.

"What?! Did it only have one performance?"

No, it was also at 5 PM on Friday, but I didn't know in time. So, after this 2 PM matinee, they would be striking the set and turning in costumes. "Raise Your Voice" had the evening show yesterday, and will have another today, plus a Sunday matinee. I know both shows I attended were nearly full, too, so I'm glad to see that! I'm so glad to see SavChTh thriving in its 22nd year! And for the next two weekends, they'll have a musical I've never heard of!! I am quite excited about that!

"I know you are! I'm glad you were able to have some theatre fun this weekend. I'm sure that was a nice distraction from your medical procedure on Monday. Try to stay calm and here's hoping for the best with that!"

Thanks, dear. Now, I'm off to see "Toy Story 5" again. More fun for me!

parsley, sage, rosemary, and...

To paraphrase the Simon & Garfunkel song, let me proffer this stanza.

"Lemon, orange, frankincense, and Thieves,

 Some are singular, some are a blend,

Take them on their own or mix and you'll see

they will treat you just like a friend."

 

Cheri Hester, as a representative of Young Living's line of essential oils, held a seminar this evening, over at Asbury Memorial, s she has done for at least six years now.

"Find Your Fabulous" is what she titled it, and each of us were handed a little vial of "Feeling Fabulous" - a particular blend of oils - as a gift to carry home with us.

Which oils are in "Feeling Fabulous"?

I'll have to ask her.

In addition to being misted by that blend when we checked in, we were also given drops of the blend called "Abundance" to rub on our hands.

I was not a fan of that one, as it smelled a bit acrid.

Later, we were given a drop of "Joy", another blend, for our hands.

I rubbed it on my arms instead.

All I can say for sure is the combination aggravated my sinuses.

I think I would have preferred just 'Lemon' or even the "Citrus Blend".

There were about a dozen of us there in Holliday Hall, will some being regular customers of Rev. Billy's wife.

A few were there like me: to find out what the buzz was all about.

For those into homeopathic remedies, aromatherapy, and the like, these different oils and their uses in diffusers and foodstuffs is already familiar.

I don't use scents in my home, so I was definitely sensitive to them.

Still, I'm glad I was there.

Cheri had studded her presentation with the word "chemicals", as if all were malevolent, and I started in to educate her, and the others, that the proper word she wanted was "toxins".

As I told all there, our bodies contain millions of chemicals working together to keep us alive, the air is full of chemicals that allow us to breathe, our food is full of chemicals that provide all the nutrition we need to survive.

Even all of these essential oils are full of chemicals!

I added that I had told 25 years worth of future nurses in my classes that they should laugh at anyone trying to sell them something 'chemical-free'.

Why?

Because that meant the salesman was pushing them to buy a vacuum!

Only a vacuum is devoid of all matter, meaning it doesn't contain any atoms and molecules, making it truly free of any and all chemicals.

By the end of the first hour, she had it straight, especially with Lynn and Holly helping to remind her.

Success!

Right place, right time.

As for the products, I may recommend some to Christina and Carolyn.

The "Stress Away", with its lime, vanilla, lavender, balsam, cedarwood, and ocotea (related to cinnamon) oils, might be beneficial for taking the edge off for my first niece and her ADHD girls, if used in a room diffuser.

As for Carolyn, with all the pulmonary and sinus infections she has, the Thieves blend may be of help. 

I might even purchase some of the Thieves cleaning products, as they are all antibacterial... and smell pretty good!

That's a blend of lemon, eucalyptus, rosemary, clove, and cinnamon oils, all of which I like individually.

The church has had the Thieves liquid hand soap in the ladies bathroom for several years, so I'm accustomed to it, too.

I didn't buy anything tonight, but I'm glad I was there to learn about her products... and to stand up for science!

I had nice conversations with Lynn and Holly afterward, too.

Lynn is married to a scientist, and Holly used to teach math and science.

I'll have to keep an eye out for them at future events! 

(smile!)

bday gifts from the SavVA

This doesn't look like it contains almost $2000 worth of goods, does it?

Just an inconspicuous plastic delivery bag, right?

I'm just glad that I was home yesterday when it arrived.

If I'd left home before it was dropped off - with no one even knocking on my door - I would have been concerned.

The contents were the Eliquis, Lisinopril, and Levothyroxine for the next three months.

Thank you, the Savannah VA and the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, for taking care of me.

Then, today, another package arrived, this time delivered by the post office, by my regular mailman.

He came at his regular time, even rattling my mailbox to let me know he left something for me.

He's such a sweetie!

I had not realized what was coming until I saw the box, though.

My new eyeglasses!!!

I picked the Blue Marble for the frames and just love it!

Thanks, Dr. Urban at the Sav VA, for setting me up!

bar island exists again

One of the things on the agenda for the Two First Posts meetings has been adding an island to the bar area.

I reminded Doug, and Justin, too, last week, that the island had been a real thing back in May of 2025, so it may have ended up in the storage area we've been paying for since the renovation kicked into gear around then.

We also had shelving on the back wall of the bar.

Last week, I asked Justin about the storage contents and he told me he'd check.

I'm hoping that's the source of this new island.

I guess I should have checked a little closer, but I was distracted by the presence of Billy Cope and Joe Cetti, as this was their first meeting in several weeks.

Glad they were there!

Billy had good news to share: he's done wiring the bar area for the five TVs to be connected to Direct TV.

Now it's time for Joe to purchase the TVs and the mounting kits so that will be a done deal!

I guess that's when our long-lost Budweiser sign will be mounted, too.

It's been in storage over at Post 135 ever since we lost our place in Thunderbolt on Victory Drive.

I'm actually amazed they never made use of it!

Interesting tidbit: the Clydesdales were in Savannah a few weeks ago.

This is the 150th anniversary of Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company and will soon be the 100th anniversary of the use of the Budweiser Clydesdales to haul beer to special locations.

They were last here for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, as they have been for many years.

 

So what else is physically new here at 5509/5511 Montgomery Street?

The game room has been sheetrocked and mudded, ready for painting.

All the boxes that had been in the dining area are all gone, allowing for some of the tables and chairs to be placed back into position.

Kat and Mike asked tonight if anyone had any photos with the dining room and bar area all set up for customers.

Their insurance company was requiring pictures to go along with their application, and they didn't have any.

As I told them, I "take photographs of everything, since I'm the historian." 

Then it was a matter of locating said photos on the computer.

I knew exactly what I was looking for... and here they are!

That's a lucky break for our canteen managers!

And, yes, they were here at this last meeting of June.

So were me, Doug, Billy, and Joe for Post 36; Post 500 had Eddie, John, Sabrina, Brenda, and Eric.

That was the best turnout this month!

Doug had even brought Subway sandwiches to slake our hunger... was that from something I said last week?

Quite possibly.

Good! That worked out well for Kat's kids, too. (smile!) 

So, what transpired this evening?

Well, I found out that Kat and Mike have accepted the contract - hooray!

Billy has found a 20-foot container in Texas, in good condition, and for $1000 it's ours, including transport and install - hooray!

He also has Direct TV set up for the TVs, has RING for the cameras and security, and RING Central for the local phone at Two First Posts.

All that was lacking was the email to get those out of his name - done!

Billy said he'll have the WiFi installed for the canteen and the event room in two weeks and will give out new passwords then - very good!

I'm so glad he's been able to devote some time here again!

What else?

John talked about the dark parking lot being a security issue, so that street light needed to be repaired.

I told him "No problem, I've called Georgia Power for those many times!"

In fact, I've just filed the report on their website for Pole 003108, so that task is now done!

I've also sent the photos of the canteen to Kat, so that's off my plate, too.

Justin, on the other hand, will soon have a punch list to complete of items here.

Eddie was quite upset about all the dust all over, as well as the uncompleted projects, so Sabrina is going to have Eric and Billy check the building for electrical and construction items that need to be addressed.

What's the big push?

Kat and Mike have a big event scheduled for July 10: a soccer-watching party for Choate Construction.

She can make it a package deal for them, with liquor costs included, which will simply require a temporary license on her part.

Meanwhile, that will bring in good money for the ballroom use.

Hopefully, the City Council meeting next Wednesday afternoon will net the Two First Posts a liquor license and business license.

It was broached that our presence at that meeting might speed the process, as there are several American Legion members on that council.

Wouldn't that be grand?

Here's hoping it'll go as we wish!

research that's paying me to participate!

Let me take a moment to thank facebook for offering me this opportunity.

Let me also thank my friends for having participated in other studies advertised on that social media, so I could trust it to not be a scam.

That said, I don't know anyone who has been part of these two studies, but I went ahead and chose to enroll in them.

How was I even eligible for them?

I have an upcoming colonoscopy and both need to compare their study results to those from the physical examination of my colon lining.

I chose the two studies because they are using different materials from the body to try to find cancer markers.

The first one I enrolled in is actually called the FIND CRC STUDY.

That's literally "find colorectal cancer study", being done by Natera. 

I was drawn to it back in May, when I originally had the colonoscopy scheduled.

Then I decided I didn't want the medical procedure to interfere with my bday68 plans, so I backed off.

Two weeks ago, I approached this study again and was accepted - yeah!

Today, they sent a phlebotomist to my house to withdraw 9 vials of blood.

That's all: Danielle was in and out in less than 20 minutes.

I'll receive $125 for letting her take that blood donation.

Plus, I'll get another $150 for the questionnaire and providing them with my colonoscopy results.

The study will continue for two more years, with them getting more blood each year and providing me a stipend for that service.

That's very beneficial income for a retiree!

The second study is from a company that has already obtained FDA approval for their CRC home kit.

Colosense is all about using the actual fecal matter to determine whether cancer is present.

After Marni called me and verified that I was a viable candidate, I was sent the kit and very detailed instructions on the collection of a suitable stool.

Not only will they examine that fecal matter, but they will also investigate the DNA material which I collected from it in a special tube.

So, if they've already been approved by the FDA, then why this study?

Like true scientists, they are interested in improving their data base.

Hence, the ad on fb for more volunteers in the name of science.

I sent my kit back to them yesterday.

After they receive the results from my medical procedure on Monday, for comparison to their study, I'll get $200.

Yes, please!

I must say, this has been the best part of getting a colonoscopy: feeling like I'm part of a team effort to keep others from dying like Mother Pat.

I'll be curious how the results from these two studies compare to each other and to the result of the colonoscopy.

SCIENCE!!! 

(smile)

new owner at msg, new rules

It had been such a scorcher today, with summer trying to come in hot.

After all, yesterday was the official first day of that season.

So, when Marcia sent around the text about meeting up for Music Bingo, I was all for it!

Gathering for fun and singing with friends, in air conditioning I didn't have to pay for?

Yes, please!

I was one of the first ones there, joined soon by Amanda and Merritt.

Marcia came in next, with her granddaughter, Batsheva, in tow.

The girl had a new short 'do for summer, though the reason for the cut had been too many snarls in her hair.

Her mom said cutting the hair was the only recourse.

The bob looked very cute though!

 

Sandy didn't arrive until my Nachos were already on the table.

Just look at that mass of chips and cheese and chili!!!

Russ came in just before 7, with his bag of Bingo paraphernalia in tow.

Hooray!!!

Then Chris, the manager, came over to break the news to us.

There weren't enough players there tonight.

The Music Bingo session was canceled.

Say what???

The new owner has some such nonsense about needing to have at least 8 players for the game to be held.

Ah, but there were  of us and two players at the bar... that's 8!

It didn't make a difference.

We even said we'd play for no prizes, just the joy of listening and singing along with the music being played!

Nope, that wasn't going to happen, captain. 

Well, drats.

I certainly wouldn't have ordered those $15 nachos if I'd known that.

They all felt the same way... but at least we had each other's company.

sunshine and some last words...

One of my favorite things about these vacations at Chez Kosmach is having breakfast on the back porch.

I especially enjoy that experience when the sun is shining brightly!

The view offers something different and interesting all around, from the tree with the thirteen birdhouses to the bouncy toy animals to the clusters of trees of different types near the blue-dyed canal.

Then there are the sounds!

Birdsong of several types!

Chimes on the back porch merging songs with the front chimes!

Even the sounds of cars passing on the street seem more charming.

I remembered that I needed to write in Dawn's guest book.

What should I do for her this time?

 

How about a different scribble flower and a poem?

She would not be expecting that!

Yes, that would serve as a mighty fine start!

"Rain, rain, would not go away,

refusing to let Stella and Coco play.

But Saturday's sun

allowed them to run and have fun,

until the night storm at the end of the day."

 

Yes, that really sums up the vacation rather nicely!

Now, they should be home any minute from Chicago.

Time to take Stella by the front door to welcome them!!!

(smile!)

back to back bananas for me and stella!

For my last vacation in Georgetown with Stella, I'd been surprised to find the Banana Ball game on TV.

This time, I made sure to check their schedule!

That was a good call.

That meant I was prepared yesterday for the night game...

and I was prepared tonight for the second in that series of three!

 

Of course, I made sure to dine with my brothers last evening.

I wanted to talk with them about our Aunt Linda, who is in the hospital.

I am so grateful Smitty and Tony came with me for her Birthday Tea last year, spending quality time with her!

Nice for me to spend this quality time with family and friends at the S&K Friday Fiesta, too.

I jetted off about 7 PM, though, to make sure I got back to Stella before night fell... and before I missed too much of the game!

I arrived in time for the bottom of the 3rd inning in this game that pitted the Savannah Bananas against the Indianapolis Clowns in their home city of Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Great American Ball Park.

How very cool those aerial shots were, with the downtown surrounding that diamond of green!

The Bananas took the point for the first inning, the Clowns got the one for the second inning, and neither got a point for that 3rd one.

However, the Clowns, playing on the field they'd last been on 37 years ago, got a fire lit up by the crowd, taking the points for the next three innings!

That meant that at the bottom of the 7th, they led, 4 to 1.

Then Joe Gray, Jr. smacked a walk-off home run, bringing it to 5 to 1!

The Bananas managed to get the point for the 8th inning, but couldn't score again in the 9th, leaving the final at Clowns 5, Bananas 2.

Great game!

Tonight, here's the scene, with the same teams, same field, bottom of the 3rd inning.

Kyle Luigs was the starting pitcher for the Bananas and he had kept the Clowns from getting any runs.

That streak fell apart in the third, with the Clowns getting that point!

The Clowns also took the point in the 5th inning to tie the score 2 to 2.

Not to be outdone, the Bananas took the points for innings 6 and 7!

So exciting, with the thunder rumbling outside!

Their lead may have been aided by Hall of Famers for the Cincinnati Reds doing cameos on their team.

Both Adam Dunn and Aaron Harang played in those two innings!

But it wasn't time to count out the Clowns!

They got three runs in the 8th inning to take the point, bringing their score up to 3 against the Bananas' 4.

That's when they brought in Peanuts the Elephant to pitch in the 9th.

Although the fans loved it - as did I! - that may not have been the best for the team in this close game.

See, the Bananas had already scored three runs that inning.

However, Peanuts kept them from scoring any more, so that was good.

Sadly, the Clowns didn't score any runs that inning, so the Bananas took that game, 7 to 3.

There'll be a third game tomorrow, but I'll miss that.

Can you imagine?

The folks in that Ohio town are getting three Banana Ball games in a row!!!

Wow!

That means over 120,000 fans will have seen the games over this home stand.

That's amazing!!!

what a reunion at the patio!!!

Stella and I had arrived first.

I wasn't even sure if the party on the patio would come to pass, but I had made the choice that morning that we would be at the patio at 5 PM on this first sunny afternoon in days!

We were there about ten minutes early, just hanging out and hoping.

Then we heard it: Terry had turned on the speakers!

Rock music stirred the air!

Then Susan opened the back door and stepped out... 

with Coco close behind, but moving slowly...

until she saw Stella coming across the patio...

and justthatfast, the two dogs made a beeline for each other like friends who'd been apart too long!!!

What a glorious display of love and friendship!!!

They played and played!!!

That was well worth getting carried away by sand gnats for thirty minutes...

I'm so glad we finally had this party on the patio!

language lessons

"On vacation? In Georgetown??"

Yes, believe it or not. And they came from a puzzle-a-day calendar, of all places. I've done a couple of those crossword puzzles while here with Stella, but this was the most fun of the bunch!

"Didn't you do some on your last stay with the dog? I don't recall you making a big deal of any of those."

Yes, I did do crosswords then, too, but I just didn't say anything. I really might see about getting one of these calendars next year. I'll have to see what different makers there are. These were all from the New York newspaper and some of the clues are about people I've never heard of. Maybe I'll find a Jonesin' puzzle calendar!

"Oh, that would be fabulous!! You've done his puzzles for so many years!"

I have! I very much enjoy his sense of humor! This one reminded me of his style, in a way, but what I most enjoyed was learning some new words from other countries.

"I see that you have persisted in using an ink pen on these puzzles."

As I said years ago, the vibration of the graphite in a pencil against the fibers in paper really aggravates my hand. Remember, my right hand still has carpal tunnel syndrome. It was just never so bad that it needed fixing, like my left had.

"Yes, dear."

You can 'Yes, dear' me all you want, that doesn't make it any less true.

"Yes, dear. I mean, do continue about the puzzle, won't you?"

Yes I shall, as that's my purpose here on this beach today. It was actually two school-related clues that really convinced me I was right place, right time. The first was "Vacation, in Swedish, and half of an academic year, in English." How very cool to give an alternate meaning for 'semester' to a retired professor like me! 

"Oh, that was very nice!!! What was the other?"

It was "High school, in Danish, and an indoor sports area, in English." I actually recalled knowing, in my distant past, that 'gymnasium' was that term. I must have picked it up in my reading, back when I read books.

"I have to wonder if our use of that word is maybe from another country."

You're right! The roots are from Italy and Greece. That latter is the more interesting, as it denotes "a place for exercising naked". Hahahaha!

"That's funny!!! So, what else did you learn in that puzzle?"

Here's one: "Vintage car, in German, and a former military person, in English." Who would have thought 'veteran' had that other meaning! Plus, that was another case of right place, right time, for me!

"That's pretty amazing. And do I see that puzzle appeared in the calendar for January 7, 2026? Is that right?"

You're correct. I was working on these crosswords in the order in which they appeared, so this was the seventh I'd run across. Not that I attempted each one, mind. I'd look them over first, to see if I could see a pattern or whether I could answer several of the clues. If I could, then I went for it! I didn't want to leave a bunch of half-done puzzles for Dawn and Koz to work on later.

"Ah, how kind of you? Sure seems like you cherry-picked the easiest ones."

No, I did not. Remember, everyone has different areas of knowledge and experience. I was being selective based on my talents in those two areas. Like with this clue: "Competition, in French, and an instance of agreement, in English." I determined that to be 'concurrence', which actually has its roots in Old French.

"You do so love looking up a word's origin!"

Specifically, that's called a word's etymology. I like to think of it as its genealogy. You can almost follow the migration of people by the travel of a word from one language to another.

"G'friend, you do like tangents, don't you?"

Nice of you to notice!

"So, were those four the only language-learning clues?"

Nope! There was one more, and it seemed meant for me, too! "Plywood, in Danish, and a dwelling with multiple units, in English." Years of working with my brother at his flooring business, coupled with continued forays to cinemas, lead me to 'multiplex', of all things. Whaddaya think of that?

"Perfect!"

Now, I'm going to work on finishing my Stella-in-June Film Festival. So far, I have "The Wedding Singer", "Pitch Perfect", "Pitch Perfect 2", "Shang Jin And The Ten Rings", "I, Robot", and Weekend At Bernie's". Time to add "Grumpy Old Men", as it starts in just a few minutes!

"What a smorgasbord of genres you have there!!!" 

how a rhodesian ridgeback spends a rainy day

First, she duly goes out on the front porch with the human, who wants to give her a change of pace.

But the ground is too wet to lie down.

Raindrops are still misting through the air and onto her face and nose.

Drops of water are still falling erratically off the roof.

There is no way to dodge them to get to the yard.

Finally, the human opens the front door and they go inside.

 

How to pas the time inside?

Well, Miss Stella has a variety of options.

She chooses to lounge on the couch, stretched out to her maximum length...

ah, yes, mine mine mine!

When she tires of being there, she drops down into her doggy bed on the floor, then settles in after rearranging the pillows...

yes, that will do!

Feeling thirsty, she rises and gets water, then repeats her time on the couch and bed. 

 

Here's the thing: she has yet to go outside and pee.

The human is concerned and walks with her onto the back porch, coercing her to follow into the yard.

They are the only creatures out in the light rain that continues to fall.

Together, they go by the Tree of Ducks that stands near the graceful canal... and a small wooded copse.

Yes, the rain barely falls in that bit of trees, so at last she has relief!

Bladder empty, and also the bowels, it was time to return to the dry house and maybe get some treats!

Then back to the couch...

every day, every day i write the book...

Yes, I cribbed that post title directly from the 1983 Elvis Costello song.

Not that it particularly pertains to this photo.

The only book I write in every day is my journal, which I keep to jog my memory from time to time.

The photo, however, was an entry in Dawn's Guest Book II, which I forgot to record back in May.

Everyone who stays overnight at the home she shares with The Koz are to write in that book, and that includes dog sitters!

To make up for my lapse, I had promised her one of my scribble flowers, so there it is!

I even brought my box of crayons so I could do it up right!

I added many of the highlights for that ten-day stay, including the parties on the patio, with goslings and without.

I spoke of the Banana Ball game on ESPN as a special treat!

I even mentioned the musical at Savannah Country Day during my stay!

Some of the many movies I watched on their channels were listed, too!

And of course I talked of special moments with their crazy dog!

I managed to fill a page and a half in their guest book.

I think Dawn will be quite pleased!

(smile!)

summer picnic luncheon on the beach!

"That doesn't look like any beach to me, g'friend. In fact, it looks just like Holliday Hall at Asbury!"

That's because you're not squinting your eye and holding your mouth just right! HAHAHAHA!

 

"Wait a minute... I know what this is! It's the Sisters In Faith luncheon, isn't it? I recognize Judy Wilburn and Beth Ballance."

 

You're correct! Neither of them were at the purple-clad table where I parked my keister, though.

I chose it for the color, of course! Patti Steinhauser, on the far left, was already there. Then we were joined by Debbie Wright, CeCe Coleman, Robin Eifler, and Sandra, the mother of Jenni from the April luncheon. 

  

"Steinhauser? Isn't that the surname of the guy in the band?"

 

Yep, it sure is! Tim was there to entertain us this time, too, but the guys called themselves the Beached Bums today! he even had her come up and sing with them for "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow PolkaDot Bikini"!!! Very funny bit, with him wearing that swimsuit!!! Well, kinda sorta. LOL!!!

 

"Nice music for y'all's day 'at the beach'! I see there was even a beach ball!"

 

Actually, that was the "talking" ball, passed around with the holder of it asked to share a favorite story about the beach with us. Guess what? I got up and did that! I told all about Mama taking us four kids to the beach often during the summer, with a jug of water and peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches. We'd play on the beach and in the water there at Tybee for hours! That let her have some peace and quiet. Then we'd stop by the Sugar Shack on the way home and get malteds and milkshakes, and that would keep us quiet for the drive. Fun for all of us!

 

"That's a really nice memory."

 

Yeah, and it got other Savannahians talking about memories of their summers at Tybee. I really loved that! I'm glad that Asbury is one place where I'm not the only local gal.

 

"Me, too. And did you have any hot dog buns to bring home?"

 

Nope! All 16 of those buns got eaten! Good!!! Now, I'm going to take care of a few things here at home, like charging my phone. American Legion Post 36 is supposed to have its monthly meeting at 6 PM, so I'll stay in town until it's done, then head back to Stella. Good thing it's rainy, or she'd be upset about missing the party on the patio. Maybe tomorrow will have a sunny spot in it for her!

poor, hungry, dog!

I just know she had given up on me ever coming.

I'm glad I put an end to that Two First Posts meeting when I did.

It was still almost 9:30 when Stella got fed.

What a sad way to start our little vacation together!

I made sure to give her a little extra... plus some of her favorite treats... and lots of belly rubs!

Then I had dinner and watched "Scrubs" until my first niece called.

Christina had some news: she's definitely not in the control group!!!

We then talked and talked until my phone died.

See, I'd used it to take all those photos at the meeting, as well as taking notes, not paying attention to the battery indicator.

That meant I needed to go home and get my charger, which, for whatever reason, I'd neglected to bring along to Georgetown.

After being gone so long last night, I couldn't justify just running off on Stella too early today.

We sat out on the front porch for a while, watching the drizzle make the ground wetter than it already was.

We'll just have to try to catch a bit of sunshine when we can!

two first posts of georgia, post fire marshal

After two and a half hours, I made a motion to close the meeting.

I had a dog in Georgetown that was used to having her dinner at 7 PM and the time was then 8:30 PM.

No, I had not yet had supper, either, but I was more concerned about her.

Apparently, the others - Doug Andrews, John Parker, Eric Bolden, Brenda Pough, Sabrina Scales, and Justin Wells, the contractor - agreed with me.

Why was the contractor present?

He wanted to talk to the group about the four or five change orders that he was currently finishing up and would need payment for.

 

Here's two of those, in one shot: the wall to separate the event room from the entrance hall, with the former front doors installed now.

The importance of that was the fact that those doors were lockable.

That was vital, as Eric had seen signs of someone having been there on Sunday, when no one was to have been present.

Remember, he's our Building Manager, and he'd come by on Sunday to put away the chairs and tables from our first official event. 

We'd seen the setup at last week's meeting.

Post 500 had 100 diners present for their 80th Anniversary dinner!

 

The Fire Marshal verified the Two First Posts ballroom is cleared to hold 150, including any caterers, musicians, or others at the event.

Eric has requested another four packs of the banquet chairs, to increase the number of tickets sold to 120 patrons.

Meanwhile, Justin is to build another wall for a closet to hold extra party-planning items, perhaps like linens and such.

That's in addition to the new wall he's constructed on this side of the entrance at 5511 Montgomery Street.

When I arrived just before 6 PM, he was still mudding the sheetrock.

Eric had just shown him the banner Brenda designed, which met with great approval from Justin.

The other side of that change-order wall will be the game room - for darts - attached to the canteen area. 

I'm looking forward to seeing that wall finished next week!

 

Speaking of the canteen portion, the Fire Marshal has deemed its occupancy load to be 68, which seems like it may mean about 55 patrons.

After all, the occupancy has to include the bar staff, the kitchen cooks and cleaners, and the wait staff.

Right now, though, that area is still pretty well crammed with boxes.

Those all held chairs that Eric had to put together for last Saturday.

I know there is another event - Sabrina's retirement party - set for Friday, but hopefully Eric will be able to concentrate on getting the restaurant tables and chairs set back up again.

 

One nice thing about having these two events this month: it's spurred action toward prettying up the bathrooms.

This silver-framed mirror is in the women's area, with silver faucet handles and silver tap, too.

The men's room will be decked out with gold in those items.

Right now, the mirror is the only gold, but doesn't it look great?

I think both are going to look quite classy when they're finished.

As for tonight's meeting, it started out with talk of Toast, the credit card handling service, which has yet to set up the machines of give lessons.

Justin suggested we cancel it, as they have bailed on him three times when they had appointments to get their machine installed.

Doug concurred, said let's use Clover, the one Kat and Mike use.

Done!

(Though I honestly thought this was already decided several weeks ago.)

Justin also asked that his construction company's name be removed from the storage lease and that The Two First Posts LLC be on it instead.

Doug verified that will be done.

Doug also reminded us that we still need to get Sabrina and Joe Cetti's names as authorized users of the Two First Posts bank account.

Justin reiterated that the meeting with the Fire Marshal went well on Friday, gaining us these two Certificates Of Occupancy Load, which are the official papers to be displayed on the walls in both areas.

Justin said we have had the Certificate of Occupancy - which is apparently something different - since February 25 of this year.

Eric will get the COOL framed and mounted on the walls.

Larry Jackson (on the phone) said he will need a copy of those two COOLs for obtaining the business license, which he is working on with Kat Hancock.

Larry confirmed that the City Council meeting is scheduled for July 1st, but he does not yet know for sure if our petition for a liquor license is on that docket; however, he will let us know as soon as he knows.

He also confirmed that JKLM LLC will be the management for our canteen, which will be called Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Barbecue and Grill.

Then on to yet another change order, this one for a chandelier in the ballroom.

Say what?

Six of the ceiling tiles will need to be removed and there was some discussion about how to place it so it would be above the band stand.

Also, there was talk of a dance floor?

Those were all new business that I knew naught of.

That's about the time I moved to adjourn.

Let's finish what needs to be done, y'all, before we dream bigger, okay?