bday68 trip to the jepson!

"Hooray! You've taken your sweet bippy time about that this year!"

 

I have, and it actually was a spur of the moment thing. I suggested it as a place to go and she said she hadn't been in over a decade. Off we went downtown! And when we got there, a parking spot magically emptied as we arrived!

 

"Fabulous! Right place, right time!"

 

I concur wholeheartedly! And we were able to cut through the shade of Telfair Square, avoiding the summer heat. I'm so glad I recently renewed my membership! That allowed me to treat her to admittance, just as she had treated me to our luncheon. I really loved that I was able to do that!

 

"Marvelous! And I could swear I've seen that painting before. Isn't it one of those from the Monet exhibit a few years back?"

 

Good memory, as that was back in 2015. And you are correct! That's "The Garden Umbrella", by Frederick Frieseke, an American who did most of his works in the first third of the 20th century. This time, the piece owned by the Telfair is part of the "Impressionism And Modernity: French And American Painting" exhibit. This one opened in May, for my birthday, but I've just not made it there until today.

 

"That means you missed the opening reception for it, didn't you?"

 

Sadly, yes. I'm just glad to have made it this afternoon! All total, we probably spent 40 minutes in this exhibit. And, of that time, we sat and talked about this one painting for at least fifteen minutes!!! I have to believe the bench in front of it was so placed to encourage discussion.

 

"This is definitely not an impressionism work. I take it that it was one of the 'modernity' pieces borrowed from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC? What a detailed look at life by a busy waterway! There's even the two ladies in the foreground, stopping while walking their dog so the little boy can play with it! Very nice!!!"

 

That's exactly why we sat and talked about it! Sadly, neither of us made note of the title or artist for the piece. I guess I'll have to make a follow-up trip for that information! 

 

"I guess you will. And what's this exhibit?"

 

It's the one that opened in March. "Off The Coast Of Paradise: Artists And Ossabaw Island, 1961-Now" has a wide variety of pieces. Some are metallic sculptures, many are photographs, and a few are paintings. I really liked this quartet of photographs by Ellen Lanyon.

 

"I bet I know why!!! Three of those photos taken at a beach bear a striking resemblance to the Raman spectroscopy images you obtained for linear polyethylenes during your doctoral studies at Florida State University."

You're absolutely right! I very much liked seeing these. We spent probably 25 minutes exploring the exhibit until we stumbled upon a film being shown in the last room. Guess what it was? "Venus of Ossabaw", that short movie that was part of the talk I went to back in January of 2025!

 

"How very cool! Wait, I thought this was being screened on the outside of the Jepson, in the evenings, so everyone could see it. Right? Wasn't the Jepson offering that as part of the Juneteenth celebration?"

 

That's right, but that stopped two weeks ago. I'm glad we happened to catch most of it. The short is a little over 18 minutes, and we saw 13 minutes of it. The historical fiction followed 'Venus' for over a month, as she travels from her home as a slave to the marshes of Florida, eventually being taken in by a group of Catholics. There was no sound, and no subtitles, either, other than those denoting the passage of time. Still, we both were captivated by the young woman's travels and struggles in the wilderness.

 

"You keep saying 'we'. You and the mouse in your pocket?"

 

Hahaha! I haven't used that phrase in so long! No, no mouse but Rhonda, an old friend that I've recently made new contact with. She and I had a luncheon today and then, as she had free time, we'd wandered to the museum. What a wonderful time!

 

"And I see you captured her in front of Joe Guy's "1000 Cranes"!"

 

Yes, it's one of my favorite places to photograph visitors to my house. It really came out very well, didn't it? We'd visited for a while, with me giving her the history of every piece on the walls. Then we went to Kayak Kafe Midtown, where she'd never been, and both greatly enjoyed our choices! She had the Cilantro Lime Fish Tacos, and I had the Tuna half-sandwich and the West Indies Trader half-salad. Good energy for our museum trip later as it turned out! (smile!)

 

"I'm so glad y'all had such a good time today!"

four meals out this week!

Monday was with my first niece and her man, right?

Tina Tuesday found me with Sandy, Marcia, and Kathy, having supper.

Nope, we were not at MSG!

That's supposed to be our Monday meetup, right?

We decided to skip that, but still wanted to have dinner together, so we met at Seasons of Japan.

Pricier than I'd expected, but it was definitely right place, right time!

This 2007 penny magically greeted me on the floor by the drink stand!

Thursday found me dining out again, this time with mi amiga, Carolyn.

We got together to see a movie first and ran into a snafu, yet again, but different this time.

The movie of interest was on its last screening, so there would not be a make-up date.

Trey made it right, and Tom gave us free cameo specials!

(See elsewhere about the great film!)

We dined at Longhorn, as she wanted their potato soup.

Fine by me!

Then, with me having missed last week's S&K Friday Fiesta, I wanted to be sure to catch it this time!

Smitty must have wanted to make sure, too.

He texted me the location and earlier time about 2 PM!

Spanky's at Mall Boulevarde was the designated spot, with 5 PM as the time.

That worked for me!

I wanted to try out their Spinach & Artichoke Dip as my meal... and I made sure to bring plenty of Lactaid, too.

It was pretty good, but I'm glad Jimmy gave me a slice of his Pepperoni Pizza and Tony gave me some of his Spuds!

No Robin at this gathering, but Addison was there with Sean again, so I made sure to properly introduce myself this time.

He won't be there next week, nor Addison.

How do I know?

Mary was getting a head count for Miyabi's, which is Smitty's choice for his 66th birthday dinner.

Fancy, fancy!!!

I'll need to be sure to set money aside for that.

Now, I'm using some Stella cash to see a musical!!!

Woohoo!!!

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!

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!)

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!!!" 

finishing the day the way i'd planned

"Um... isn't that one of the sticky pads used for an EKG?"

 

Yes, it is. That and another one was still stuck to me after the orderly rolled me in a wheelchair to my car.

 

"An orderly?! You mean, like at a hospital? And why did they release you to your Subaru instead of to your brother or someone?"

 

Yes, an orderly, St. Joseph's Hospital, where I've been since yesterday afternoon. My PCP over at the Savannah VA sent me to the Emergency Room so they could do bloodwork and an ultrasound to check out my spleen. Those departments were already closed after 2 PM at the VA center.

So, to St. Joseph's I went, explaining what was needed. Instead, the on-call doctor (Dr. Salas) at the hospital mistakenly thought I was having a heart attack, even though none of the symptoms said that. Yet another case of someone looking at my weight and thinking the wrong thing. They did an EKG, a chest X-ray, and an MRI of pelvis and abdomen, as well as the blood draw. None of those, by the way, came back with any problems. 

Nonetheless, after keeping me NPO since my arrival at 4 PM, in case she thought my chest needed to be ripped open, she finally decided to check me out of the ER exam room and into a hospital room about 10:30 PM. And that was a shared room, so the woman in there was asleep when they wheeled me in. Such a nightmare.

I objected, of course, as I had plans for today, but they didn't listen.

 

"Oh, no! This was the day of luncheon at The Pirates' House with Sisters of Faith, wasn't it? With the trolley ride after? That you'd paid $50 for as part of your bday68 gift to yourself. Oh, no. Were you out in time for that?"

Oh, no. My lunch meal at the hospital, eventually, was a good one, a meal suitable for Thanksgiving, too. But I didn't get that until after 1 PM. No breakfast, nothing since the deli machine roast beef sandwich on white bread that an ER nurse gave me before shuttling me upstairs. (Sigh.) I woke up this morning to a cardiac stress test, as the new doc (Dr. Rice) was following along on that wrong trail, too. Anyway, that meant lying on a hard plastic table for the CT scan before the chemically-induced stress test, then lying back on that rigid surface for a post-test CT scan. I felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my kidneys.

Dr. William Crosland, the cardiac surgeon who'd actually seen me briefly back in 2022 (before I became Dr. Cobb's patient) came in and pronounced me good to go. Well, kinda sorta. He wanted to have an ultrasound of my heart, just to be on the safe side. The two techs - one with experience, one a student - did that after my turkey and dressing. That came out fine, too. I kept telling them my heart was good. Apparently, so was my spleen. All they found was a "mild urinary tract infection".

I kid you not.

 

"I still don't understand why they released you on your own today."

 

Because I asked. Nurse Jane had me call Smitty and Mary to come for me, and I asked her why I couldn't just drive myself home. After all, I'd not had a single drop or milligram of any opioid drugs, so I was fully cognizant. So, she asked and they okayed it! I called my brother and told him they were letting me drive myself, so no need for him to make the trip. That was good for both of us! That meant he wouldn't have to make a second trip to help me fetch my car.

"Good deal! I'm so glad you asked about that!"

 

Me, too. I phoned him, Tony, and Christina when I got to my car. Then I bopped over to the AMC. See, on Tuesday, I'd booked the Thursday, 2 PM, first screening of "The Mandalorian and Grogu", in 3-D Big-D, along with a kidpack, with a bottle of water and Junior Mints. That snack was free to me, as it made use of my AMC Reward points, plus a gift card from AARP.  

As I wasn't released from St. Joseph until just before 5 PM, that meant my reserved kidpack had been sitting on the rack, waiting for me, for 3 hours. My choice was to go and retrieve it or just kiss goodbye to that money, too, as I'd been forced to do for The Pirates' House luncheon with the Asbury Sisters. I was not willing to do that. 

 

"I understand."

Plus, I had an American Legion meeting to get to. This one was just for Post 36, my post, and I felt I had to be there. Something to eat and drink would be a good thing. As it was, just Doug and I showed up. He had his dog, Sam, there, too. We were the only people there until the Marines started showing up for their 7 PM meeting. Really nice to see them wearing their dress red jackets! I even talked to a couple of them, then ducked out. It's been a long couple of days, and nights, mostly in a 68 F environment, and I wanted to go home and get back into normalcy.

 

"I know what that means: the CBS line-up, with 'George & Mandy' and 'Ghosts', and "Elsbeth', right?"

 

Right. Nothing like being in a hospital to make a person exhausted. I look forward to being back in my warm little house, in my warm bed, tonight. Can you believe I had four "blankets" on my hospital bed and was still freezing? Just craziness.

 

"Well, you sleep well tonight, dear. You need that."

 

Thanks. Tomorrow is another day. I am thankful about one thing. Remember that I'd called Dr. Whipple's office about my leg still bothering me and my concern that the inguinal hernia was back? Well, I did, last week. This afternoon, about 2 PM, his office had called to talk about that. They were thrilled to find out that an MRI of my pelvis and abdomen had been run yesterday. That meant they wouldn't have to wait to order a new one, they could simply look at that one! That's one less doctor appointment for me.

 

"And you also know now that nothing bad was found with your heart or anything south of it. That's a pretty good birthday gift from the Universe."

 

Yes, you're right.

There are no accidents. 

i thank You, God.

vacay in georgetown, with 8th graders and mileage change

"Did you say "8th graders"?"

 

I did indeed! Today was the final play by those students at Savannah Country Day School. The next time I see them, they'll be in the Upper School plays! This matinee was also the final performance of "Bright. Young. Things.", which is about a reality TV show which has students competing for the top prize. It was pretty funny, but also serious.

 

"That sounds like an ambitious piece for middle school kids."

 

Oh, I'm sure it was a challenge, but they all rose to the occasion! 'Rochelle' (Julia Drake) was supposed to be having a day with her dad (Knox Dew), a janitor, but the TV station called him in to clean up a mess someone made. Next thing she knows, she's put on the show in the place of a competitor that bailed. She'll be showing off her knowledge against a set of twins, 'Jasmine' (Isabella Badea) and 'Sheara' (Arabella Hassan), who are both hoping to win this year. There's also 'Hester' (Sophie Arvizu), who has brought along the foot of her pet rabbit (who is deceased, not hopping along on three feet). 'Amber' (Katie Rodman) is just 10 years old, but she managed to get selected, though she is quite nervous about it. Then there's the lone male, 'Bernie' (Emmett Winchel), who plans to be an actor and is only there because his parents insisted. Quite a nice assortment! However, as they discover, they weren't chosen for their skills so much as for the tension that would be on stage between 'the underdog', 'the villains', 'the brain', 'the cutie', and 'the hero', to draw the audience in.

 

"Oh, how dastardly! Picked for their personalities, not their intelligence! I hope the kids didn't find out."

 

Oh, of course they did! One of the four 'producers' let it slip. Then one of the twins got mad at the other for saying she was going to "let" her sister win! It truly was fun! And afterward, the 8th graders gave flowers to the teachers and stage crew. Very sweet! I liked that the play was done 'in the round' on stage. That definitely gave a more intimate performance. And I managed to snag a front-row seat! Right place, right time!

 

"Very good! I know how much you prefer those."

 

That wasn't the only coincidence that happened. My odometer clicked over into another thousand position as I was leaving the show. How about that! The mileage was 245999 as I had pulled in, and became 246000 as I was leaving. Woohoo!!!

 

"That's a pretty wobbly photo you have there. Was that from your left hand shaking, or was that jitter from the car?"

 

A bit of a combination of both, I'm sure. By the time I noticed the important odometer reading, I had someone behind me, so I rushed the shot. I'm actually surprised it came out as well as it did!

 

"Well, I kinda sorta like it, too."

 

Thanks! It's been raining much of the day, too, so Stella hasn't had much outside time. Susan canceled the party on the patio because of the light rain, but I just grabbed my umbrella and took Stella out anyway. At least it was true this time when I blamed the neighbors for not coming out. (smile!) The ridgeback was just happy to be outside with me. We stayed out there for about thirty minutes, then I took her in and dried her off. Can't have her catching a cold!

 

"That's for sure! What's next on your vacation agenda?"

 

Tonight, I get a scifi double header of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones! "Men In Black" starts momentarily, then "Men In Black II" follows right behind it. What nice additions to my vacation film festival! Plus, I've recorded "Free Guy", which I watched again this morning. Yep! Life is good!

a penny - thoughts of italy - and the odometer

"Ken, what are three things that said I was in the right place, right time, on this Monday evening?"

Ding, ding, ding!

Here's the penny, lying on Habersham Street, just to my left as I was used the crosswalk to get from the handicap parking spot to Midtown Sports Grill.

I actually had to look twice to make sure it was real.

Just look at how dinged up the poor cent is!

The only part of the date that's legible are the first two digits: 20.

Which year of this century is anyone's guess, but it was there to encourage me that I'd made the right choice to come out tonight.

Right place, right time!

And just why was I there?

Music Bingo with my friends, of course!

That's Marcia having a chat with Russ, the bingo emcee, checking to see if she did know him from the Habersham YMCA.

Yep, that's right!

She and I had a great talk, sharing memories of Livorno, Italy, as well as Florence and some of the Amalfi coast.

Her husband was stationed there three years while he was in the Navy.

 

Such a lucky break for them!

And what's this that I selected for dinner tonight?

Chicken wings with Hot Honey Garlic -so totally addictive!!!

Marcia had recommended them, so that's what I had.

It took me the entire time that we were there to make my way through the six wings and drumsticks...

but how delicious!

They were like candy... so sweet and sticky... RAWR!!!

I'm sure the reason I didn't win was because I was too distracted by the dessert-style meat on that plate!

I came closest on the last game, "Random Mix #2", needing only "You Oughta Know" for the win.

Guess I oughta know to keep the food simple for these games!

 

Then we gave our hugs of goodbye and were on our way!

But what else did the Universe have in store for me?

Nothing but a fancy mix of numbers on my odometer when I got home!

Yes, that's right.

The mileage read: 245757 - that's two pair, a winning hand!

That "57" corresponds to Sandy's age right now, too, but that's due to click over to "58" next month.

(smile!)

Right place, right time!

today, i wore an easter bonnet!

"Put on your Easter bonnet

with all the frills upon it

and we will have 

a very merry

Easter Parade!"

That Irving Berlin song from 1933 has been on my mind ever since the theme of this Sisters In Faith luncheon was announced last month.

Such a catchy little number!

I fashioned my head-topper by wrapping the Periodic Table scarf around the bright pink bowl of the hat that always brings happy thoughts of Mama.

Thanks, Cathy of El Cerrito, for that gift!

It went so well with my Spring-time dress!

That's what Linda Combs and Michelle Meece told me, so I know it to be true!

Here they are, with our gracious event planner wearing one of the cutest hats there!

Just look at those bunny ears!!!

Linda, I just know Bugs Bunny would be thrilled, too!!!

Those were more bunny ears, too.

That's Sherry Giddens, at the end of my table, sporting huge ears atop her bonnet!

Judy Wilburn's summer hat boasted flowers against its straw!

And there were three ladies at the table beside us who all wore flower-bedecked bonnets! 

That's Kathy Hodges, in the pink dress, in the middle, between the lady in the orange hat and the one in the green.

My table had a mother and daughter wearing bonnets!

The daughter, Jenni, had her 61st birthday yesterday.

Her mom, Sandra, tried to scoot out of the photo, but I caught her!

To me, they were the belles of this ball at Holliday Hall - they brought three boxes of Chick-Fil-A nuggets!!!

I signed up to bring finger sandwiches, substituting two trays of sushi.

(That's them between the chips and tower of cucumber sandwiches.)

Cheri Hester brought sushi, too, as did one other - so much for me bringing something different!

That just meant I had sushi to take home for dinner tonight.

(smile!)

Here's the array of Easter bonnets that came today, arranged in competition on the stage here at Asbury Memorial's social hall.

I bet there were at least fifteen!!!

That's Linda and Michelle, making sure each entry has been assigned a number for the voting process.

 

The winner was worn by Cece Colman!

That's her, on the left, with the Mexican sombrero-style hat with all the fringe and little Easter bunnies.

I bet that laden bonnet weighed at least ten pounds!

That's means I wouldn't have been able to pick it up, per post-surgery orders, for at least another three weeks.

That's pretty impressive, as was the hat with the twinkle lights!

Here's a funny story!

Right after I snapped that photo, the two women realized their hats had gotten snagged.

Oh, no!

But I have plenty of practice with branches in my long hair, so set to work untangling Cece's fringe from Mary's foliage.

I just let my fingers feel their way, loosening the two from each other, just as I've done in my yard on many occasions.

Hooray!

And who was our guest speaker today?

Kim Polote, someone I'd rescued from a clothing emergency years ago!

It was while I was a volunteer usher at the Lucas Theatre.

She was to perform in a Christmas show, but the gown she was in didn't quite fit at the top of the bodice.

I happened to be in the bathroom when she was in distress about her dress...

and I happened to have several safety pins with me...

so, calamity avoided and distress dispersed!

Right place, right time!

Of course, that's been at least fifteen years ago.

Today, she was there to share songs with us at this happy luncheon!

"Wind Beneath My Wings" was merged seamlessly into "Over The Rainbow" before she said her first words to us.

Later, led us all in singing "This Little Light Of Mine", clapping joyously!

Then she gave us "Change Is Gonna Come" and one her own songs, "Everything Must Change".

In between all that music, she told her life stories and encouraged us to "find the message in the mess" life sometimes hands us.

Absolutely lovely!

She also talked of celebrating the joy wherever we find it, even in a movie, such as "Me, You & Tuscany"...

and I spoke up that I'd just seen it yesterday!!!

That made her smile and got everyone's attention. 

Right place, right time!

today, i had church outside

No laptop today, but that was truly for the best.

If the computer had been present, I would have missed out on this experience.

As it was, I had joined the dog on the front porch...

and that's when I heard it...

the voice of the Universe singing through the three sets of chimes...

in one harmonious song. 

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.

 

Stella was at a peace with that song, too.

After all, she knows it well and she is the one who led me to this porch.

I had noticed on Friday that her new sunny spot was in the front garden. 

So, about an hour ago, when I headed to the front door, she was happy to join me!

Such a wonderful, holy time we have shared on this last vacation morning.

today, i went to a play!

"Good for you! That's the first one this month, isn't it?"

Of course it is. That hernia surgery really put a crimp in my style, or else I'd be going to several plays this weekend. The Savannah Stage Company has "Blackbird" at the Sentient Bean, but all performances are after 7 PM, so those are out. Savannah Arts Academy has "Six Degrees Of Separation" at the Tybee Post Theatre, but two of the three performances are at night. Not that it would matter, as it's still too far to drive for me at this time. However, there's this matinee today, by the Garrison Arts Academy, and it was at Yamacraw Performing Arts Center and that was just perfect!!! "Myth-Understood" was exactly the comedy needed to bring smiles to my face and laughter to my heart!

"Most excellent!!! Was it Roman or Greek mythology?"

It was Greek! I don't recall being into those works in the 5th and 6th grade, but these kids sure were. The two-act play was done completely by those students! I sat near a mom who had seen it last night and was back with her son's siblings so they could enjoy it, too. A family day with live theater!

"Good for her! So, tell me which stories were spoofed!"

That's just it, these were supposedly the real stories, from the very lips of the gods themselves to the two teens writing a report for their class. Hermes had fetched the girls to Mount Olympus so Zeus and Hera could bring forth the others to clarify the myths. For instance, Prometheus had been punished for stealing fire from Zeus, right? Well, what actually happened was this: Prometheus claimed to have invented fire. He was punished for lying about that.

"Oh, really?" (one eyebrow arched)

For sure, as the two girls found out. He took their phone, then claimed to have invented the phone! Later, he would claim to have invented the internet, youTube, and door-dash! Such a rampant liar! LOL! Then the girls heard the true story of how Persephones ended up with Hades in the underworld. Persephone wanted to go to hell so she could dress dark and be in a band, so she followed Hades. He didn't even know she was behind him! Then, when she got there, she found two others and they became rockers known as Queens of the Underworld! Her mom didn't like it, but Persephone did agree to come back above ground once a year to bring spring.

"Queens of the Underworld? Really?"

Yes, yes, and that's not all. When Eurydice died and went to the underworld, she became friends with them.

"Say what?"

Yeah, it turned out Orpheus was a bit of a stalker, so she deliberately stepped on a snake so she would die and get away from him. Then, you know what happened, right? He followed her down there, too! He even asked Hades to let him have her back. So Hades cut him the deal that they could be reunited if Orpheus didn't look back to make sure she was following. Ah, but Eurydice tricked him by saying, "Hey, there's Mick Jagger!" Hahahaha!

"Oh, that's funny!!! Such a nice coincidence! His name came up yesterday!"

I know! Right place, right time!

"Pretty amazing how often that bit of mythology gets plucked for retelling. I bet that tale has been told at least four times in the last decade."

Yep, that would be my count! Now, who else got to tell their side of things? Well, there was Pandora, cursed by Zeus to be overly curious, then given a jar - not a box - and told not to look inside. She got her husband to open it, so he's the one that should be blamed for all the ills of the world. LOL! Then there's the story of Medusa, who just wanted a hairdo that would stand out at school. Athena knew she was a herpetology fan, so that's why she gave Medusa a head full of snakes. Just helping a girl out, you know?

"Hahahaha! 'Be careful what you wish for!' LOL!"

The thing is, Medusa really liked the new 'do, just not all the teasing from the other kids. Then what was there? Oh, yes, a dating game spoof called "Apple of His Eye", in which Paris has to pick which goddess he favors. That's them in the seats out front: Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera. Of course, he chooses Aphrodite, who promises to make Helen of Troy fall in love with him. We all know how badly that went!

"Yep another case of someone getting what they wanted and having the world collapse all around them. So, how did the teacher like the girls' report?"

She gave them an "F"!!! She said they didn't even try to research, just "made it all up" instead. Everyone on Mount Olympus was shocked! They had listened in and thought the report was fabulous, as the girls told their truths, but I guess the world just wasn't prepared to hear that from two 11-year-olds. At least the teacher gave them a chance to make up the bad grade by trying again.

"LOL! Yes, who's gonna believe two 6th-graders? The gods must have been crazy to think that would work."

That's my guess. Now, I need to finish up here as I have places to be! Such a nice afternoon this has been!

one foot for the driving

"That's correct, if you have an automatic transmission. The right foot handles both the gas pedal and the brake, as only one of those is ever in action at a time. If you're using your left foot for the brake, you're driving wrong."

I'm so glad you're aware of that! It's startling to me how often someone will have a foot going on both the gas and the brake simultaneously. Don't they know they're burning up their brakes, wasting gas, and straining their engine??

"For sure. Is that why you put that title? And what's with the photo? Wait a minute... your room heater and the fan are both plugged in to the power strip! Now, that's wasting energy!!!"

Ah. It's only wasting energy if I have both engaged at the same time. However, I do not. Only the heater is on. See it's little light?

"Yes, now that you mention it."

Well, I turned it on earlier to take the chill off the bedroom.

Now, I've turned on my heated mattress pad to do the same for the bed itself. Here's the funny thing: last night I had to use the fan to cool off the room!

"Holy shiite! Look at that thirty-degree dip in the weather song!!!"

Exactly. Monday's high was almost 90F. That's right: 90!!! The heat in the attic came down into the house and made it nice and toasty, so much so that I needed a fan to cool my room down enough to sleep. Then the high today, barely hit 60F.  All that lovely heat I'd let inside yesterday has dissipated and the temperature inside is back to about 67F. Hence, I've turned on the heater to warm my room back up to 70F, thrown the extra blanket on the bed, and turned on the mattress pad.

"Wow. I guess that's why you told Yvonne that the weather is going through puberty. She had said menopause, with hot flashes, but those cold dips don't fit that theory."

Exactly. Plus, as I told her, the changes are much more in line with a boy going through puberty, complete with sperm sprayed all around! She and Cathy thought that was hilarious! and just look at this latest weather song, would ya? We'll have almost 90F again on Friday, then it'll drop back into the forties overnight!!! Crazy kid needs to get a handle on those raging hormones!

"Hahahaha! Yeah, I wish you luck with that, dear. At least these spring bouts of fluctuating hormones doesn't last but a month or so. Real puberty goes on for much longer. Your nephew Michael is getting a taste of that with his girls. Alyssa has already started menstruating, hasn't she? And Hope probably is having boy issues with Sebi."

Yep! If they didn't have gray hairs before, they will now. I'm so fortunate to have missed out on raising teenagers. Thanks, Dr. Pacifico in Okinawa, for granting me that tubal ligation when no one else would. It probably helped that we had a rash of unplanned pregnancies in the barracks at the time. That prompted all of us having to undergo education classes about sexual health and birth control methods. That's when I started asking for that procedure, and, after nearly a year, he agreed. Right place, right time for me.

"Indeed, it was. If you hadn't been in the Navy, I doubt that would have ever come to pass."

Oh, I know it wouldn't have. The rule was that a woman had to have already had two babies before she could be considered, and that's if she was single. If she were married, then her husband had to consent to the surgery before she could have it. How antiquated that all sounds! But we're only talking about the early 1980's. That's only two generations ago.

"Do you know if that rule has changed?"

I have no idea, but I hope so. A woman should always be able to control what is done with her own body, and that includes her reproductive body parts.