haas ossabaw

What a different type of day this has been!

Rabbi Haas has started holding classes over at Asbury Memorial... in improv!!!

When I saw "Improv Fun & Games" in the church newsletter, I thought perhaps he would be performing for us.

Nope!

The nine of us there - me, Tim, Wayne, Tom L., Audrey, Marsha, Lynn, Peg, and Lenny - were asked to perform, with his guidance.

I think maybe they were prepared to participate from the get-go, but I caught up fast.

Good thing I took that improv training with Odd Lot back in 2012!

I was involved in three different bits.

That started with "gift-giving of worst gift ever" with Marsha as the recipient.

I gave her a bag of sand with dead flowers and stuff!

A little later, we did the same routine as part of "Half-Life", this time with me getting the mystery gift from her... and she re-gifted the bag of sand to me!

We did that in 30 seconds, then 15 seconds, then 5 seconds, then 2 seconds - hahahaha!

The next time, I interacted with Peg for "ABC", with us working out.

Haas let us go all the way through "J" with our sentences!

And for my last bit, I was with Wayne, with him as the teacher for adult ballet - that was fun!

Especially as he is quite old and I'm no spring chicken... and I was the student!

All told, we had fun for 75 minutes, and will be doing it again on February 4th.

I'll look forward to that!

Off to my next event of the day I went, trying to miss the 5 PM traffic southside.

That's because the "Ossabaw Night In Savannah" was at the Armstrong Center of GaSoU.

Here's what's surprising about that: the event was promoted by the Telfair Museums group!

That's how I knew about it.

Others there were regulars, like Pat and Roberta Johnson.

They've been here for these annual updates about the island for the past three years.

I met them when they came over to share the table with me at the reception.

What a lovely discussion we had about my name and the first time I saw it in Rome!!!

I'm so glad Tom Nelson had snagged this table, and doubly glad that he made sure to invite me!

In fact, he and I had a quite lovely talk, as it's been a few years since I last saw him.

We keep up with each other on fb, so when he pulled out the photo of his 3-year-old granddaughter, I was able to tell him "what a striking look" she has.

She'll go far with that unique face and her strong demeanor.

Who else did I see at that sumptuous reception sponsored by Gulfstream?

Oh, yes - Pete and Fran Zipperer!!!

They were getting their name tags at the same time I did.

I kept thinking we'd see other professors out there, but I didn't recognize anyone.

Oh, I take that back!

I'm pretty sure that's Joe Guy's friend, Robin, with that straight-edged haircut and gray shirt.

I didn't notice her until I downloaded the photo at home.

I took the shot for the red-headed man at the far left, speaking to us about "The Ossabaw Island Project, Genesis, and Of The Coast Of Paradise".

That's because he's Beryl Gilothwest, the grandson of the woman who once owned Ossabaw Island.

The island was deeded over to the State of Georgia during President Jimmy Carter's time as POTUS.

They didn't mention his recent death - at the age of 100, with flags still at half-mast - but they did mention a former council member who was one of those who died last year.

That would be Lainie Peterson, who I knew through Barbara as "her friend down at Tybee Beach".

Small world sometimes.

So what was the talk about?

Two artist projects from the past, as well as the new one that'll have its results debut in 2026.

Erin Dunn, of Telfair, is the one who spoke of that.

The highlight will be a movie, "Venus of Ossabaw", which will be screened on the exterior wall of the Jepson Center, as well as in the Neises Auditorium.

That should be awesome!!!

I'm so glad the winter has relented somewhat.

The WSAV weather song is picking up a stream of higher notes through Saturday!!!

Sure, it still features night temperatures that are ten degrees below our normal... but those are experienced mostly in the predawn hours, when I'm still toasty in bed.

Believe me, I'm grateful for the reprieve!

PULSE starts on Thursday and I love that festival of arts and technology at the Jepson.

I'm so looking forward to being able to go!

MLKjr and the bfe at tybee!

Though I must admit I don't have a photo to mark that.

In fact, the only photos I took at Tybee Post Theatre were of the couple - Sharon and Craig Butts - chosen to host a Q&A session after the movie.

The reason the physicist came was his curiosity about the HBO documentary.

That was part of the reason I was there to see the 2018 "King In The Wilderness".

The other reason I was attracted to the event was its price: free!!!

The film was very well done, incorporating lots of footage from the years it covered, which were 1965 to 1968, when he was killed in Memphis.

There was also some good commentary and memories from folks who knew Martin Luther King, Jr., during that period of his life, though there was some intimation that he foresaw his death.

I was touched most by his 39th birthday at home, surrounded by his family and friends, pledging to them that he would make time with them a priority upon his return from Tennessee.

How blessed they were to have that happy memory of him as their last one.

So, what of the questions asked and answered?

That was a bit of a mess.

Sharon teaches sophomore English at Richmond Hill High School and she wrote questions designed to start a conversation, not to evoke definitive life answers.

The folks there today really had a time trying to stay on topic without white guilt creeping in.

But the movie?

Excellent.

Afterward, the bfe wanted to fried catfish.

Off we went to Papa's for that dish!

Unfortunately, it closed early... so we went to Carey The H on Skidaway Road instead!

It was on the way to my house, so that made it perfect for us.

That's his iced tea just past my crispy french fries in the above photo.

My Brunswick Stew is almost all gone, too!

That's because we were both so hungry that I almost forgot to take a snapshot.

He had stepped out to the loo, so he wasn't there for a photo op.

(smile!)

So good to have seen him again so soon!

We're planning on another dinner-and-documentary evening at month's end.

Sweet!

shake it like mary magdalene!

"What's that you say?"

Just a line from one of the songs tonight in "Sister Act"! Ain't it divine?!!

"Hahahaha! I saw that pun you snuck in there!"

I figured you would! You know how keen I am about listening to the lyrics, right? Good thing! These songs were just full of puns and double entrendres!

"Very nice! But I don't recall the movie using made-up songs."

G'friend, this wasn't no movie! It was a live musical!!! At Savannah Arts Academy!!! An absolute gift it was, too, at this time of year. I guess that's a silver lining of Hurricane Milton, as that storm was the reason it got canceled in the fall.

"So, here it was in the winter, during a cold spell, to brighten your new year!"

That's true! And guess what else? I wasn't solo! I'd posted the flyer about the show on fb, tagging two of the Asbury theatre-goers, and one of them joined me! Robin and I had a nice chat last night on the phone, then I went ahead and bought my ticket for tonight.

"Good move! That made sure you didn't back out on her because of the weather."

Ah, you know me well. And guess what? They had Varnedoe Theatre nice and toasty! I was so pleasantly warm that I took off the sweatshirt I had on over my sweater and undershirt. Just delightful to be warm, walking around enjoying the orchestra while I waited for her to get there from Pooler!!!

"That's wonderful! Now, tell me: did Robin enjoy the musical?"

She did!!! We were both laughing and clapping and having a wonderful time throughout the show!!! Get this: her son was in theater at his high school in California, so she went to all of the shows he was in. She's missed it, as he's 31 now, so she's very pleased that i like going to the various high school plays and musicals. Wonderful!!!

"How truly wonderful that is! I know you've had a struggle trying to get other Asbury folk involved with these shows. Maybe she'll be able to light a fire under them!"

Perhaps so! Oh, and tonight was closing night for the play, so they gave roses to all of the seniors in the show! My favorite, Jada Banks, was the one who played 'Doloris', so this is her last year at SAA. I'm sure going to miss her. I'm going to miss several of those kids, like Emory Liang, who played 'Sweaty Eddie the cop'. I even clapped when his character fired his gun and shot 'Curtis' (Josiah Williams), who was about to kill 'Doloris'.  Such a flashback for me of the cop firing his gun to save Bruce Willis' character in "Die Hard"! Anyway, all told, I think there were at least ten graduating seniors in this one.

"Plus, this was Richard Lundin's last play to direct. You met his replacement, Betsy, tonight. She sat right in front of you and Robin, with her daughter who goes to Garrison."

That's right!!! The little girl played 'Spud' in "The Adventures of Captain Potato"!!! She really was pleased that I had liked the short play so much!!!

"Of course she was! And her mama was, too. That probably was good for Robin, too. She's trying to get involved with helping behind the scenes and had talked to Betsy about that. Me being such a fan of children's theater undoubtedly spoke well of Robin, too."

Very cool! I'm so glad she came out tonight in this low-40's weather... glad I did, too!

soup again???

Yes, again.

 

"It seems that you're having an awful lot of soup lately."

 

Well, January is National Soup Month.

 

"I realize that. But yesterday you had soup for breakfast and dinner. If not for the instant grilled cheese sandwich with the Ensure for lunch, I'm sure you would have had soup then, too. And here it is, another day dawning, and you're at the soup again."

 

Hah, joke's on you, sister T. I had soup for lunch today, too. I may very well have soup for dinner as well... but I think I'm going to break out one of the Birds-Eye Skillet meals instead. It'll be a nice change and almost feel like I'm out to eat.

 

"That's good, have something different. Speaking of, is that the temperature???"

 

You got it. Freakin' 37, and it's almost noon. What fresh hell this is. Such a terrible way to start a new year, having so many days that are below normal here.

 

"Well, at least you aren't in Michigan."

 

Hey, I can stay right here and still find temps that'll kill me. Just look at these. Of the seven days in this weather song, three are below freezing and one is right at it. Those are all right around dawn, too. Then the sun has to shovel away all that nasty, dank, cold before it can even begin to bring any warmth to the daylight. Truly does suck long, hairy, green ones.

"(smile) I'm glad you're trying to keep a sense of humor about all this. I know those 'highs' are still horrible in your book."

Of course they are. There's a -6 wind chill for all of those, so we're not getting anywhere near a real, true-blue 50 until Monday. That's four days away! At this latitude, we are supposed to have highs in the low 60's, and lows in the 40's, at this time of year.

 

"Just keep hanging in there. That arctic blast has to let up eventually."

 

We're not due to catch a break in this horrid pattern until the end of the month. I'm terrified of what my electric bill is going to be. As it is, I'm keeping the living areas of the house around 64 to 66 most of the time. Only my bedroom is allowed to be 70-ish, so I have one room to escape the chill. Of late, that room has been at the same temp as the house, as the below-freezing nights just sap out the heat. I tell ya, it's really dragging me down.

"Every little thing is gonna be alright. Really, it will be. This is temporary."

This is temporary. It just feels like it's dragging on for forever. Being cooped up in the house is getting to me, it is. I've been occupying myself with going through all the paperwork in my filing cabinet, and, slowly, it is getting lighter. I guess by the time the end of the month comes, it'll be a breeze to take it back into the Ocean Room.

"There you go, there's a little smile! You'll probably have all your tax documents all ready for filing, too, get ya that refund to replenish your savings. That's a silver lining of this bad weather! Don't let the cabin fever get the better of you."

Thanks, I'm trying. I've decided that I'm going to Jalapenos tomorrow night. The cloud cover should keep the temp fairly stable in the upper 40's. I'd like to say I'm going to Tomasz' movie, too, but I doubt I will. If someone were to drive for me and drop me at the door of Savannah Cultural Arts Center, that would be perfect! However, Barbara would have been the one to do that, and she's dead.

"Yes, I know that's led to some big changes in your life. What with Carolyn living out of town now and Sandy not able to do last minute plans, there's a big hole that hasn't been filled."

Ya got that right. At least I did get two movies in this week. Plus I have luncheons planned in another two weeks. I just have to keep my chin up... and keep it plucked, too. I don't need folks to get scared off by gray hairs on my chinny chinny chin!

"There you go! Keep that sense of humor, dearie!"

another heaven-sent gift for me!

"Let me guess... another penny?"

How did you know that?? Yes, another little coppery message of love, this time dated 2013.

"That carpet looks familiar..."

As well it should, as many times as we've been to that AMC-cum-Wynnsong Cinema!

"For sure! So you caught another movie, did you?"

I did, even though the temperature didn't bother to crawl out of the mid-40's today. Ack. But the movie was my reward for going out of the house to pull the trash bin and the recycling bin back up to the house. I'd hauled them to the curb yesterday when i got home. Then, I heard this morning when they each got emptied, so I had no excuse for leaving them at the curb another day. I promised myself that if I hauled them back up, I could go to a movie, as I would already be outside. So, after donning two sweaters instead of one, that's what I did.

"Well, I'm proud of you for getting that done on such a blisteringly cold day! And just what movie was it this time?"

"Moana 2". I've only seen it the one time, which was well over a month ago. Good choice! I hadn't realized how much I'd missed when I took Chloe to the bathroom during it!

"Good for you! That's another one for your A*List this week, too."

Yes, and it will most likely be the last one, too. I don't know, maybe I'll see "Wicked" again tomorrow, but I've already seen it three times. I doubt I'll venture into the cold to see it for a fourth time, but who knows? Perhaps I will.

... and out the door i went!

Today promised a high in the mid-60's by 2 PM, and I took it at its word!

 

I started off with inside work, dismantling the Island of Misfit Toys under the Element.

Back into the plastic storage bin with all of them!

The other decorations in the living room joined them, there to await December again.

 

Did I take down the Christmas tree, too?

That 12th Day of Christmas was yesterday, and the Epiphany does mark the end of the Christmastide time.

But, just look at it... isn't it gorgeous?

Even with the lights off, it's just so pretty and makes a cheery focal point in the room.

So, it stays for now.

Maybe I'll take it down when the Tulip Tree lets me know spring is soon coming!

 

What else did I do while waiting for the day to come up to temperature?

I set up my new calendar from AARP with the special dates of my loved ones, that's what!

Some of the little Post-It slips were transferred, some were replaced from the package I still have from my days at Armstrong.

I finished off all of those, but still have yet another package from back then.

Pretty amazing, as I'll finish my seventh year of retirement this May!

By the time I'd completed this task, it was time to go to my first A*List movie of 2025.

I'd chosen "A Complete Unknown", at 1:15 PM.

By the time it was done, I was ready to be gone from it.

It wasn't that the film was bad, per se, it's just I've never been a Bob Dylan fan.

The best parts for me were the scenes with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.

The years covered were 1961, when Dylan was just 20 years old, up to the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, when he showed all what an ass he could be.

Nice to know he's been consistent with that ever since.

At least I've crossed that off my list!

And what was on my list?

Feeding my car with gasoline, then shopping for groceries!!!

Cheeses and apples and cinnamon and squash and other stuff at Aldi's!

Then, back toward home and Food Lion for soups on sale!

 

Not only did I find plenty of heartwarming soups at BOGO prices, but also Cinnamon Cheerios, beans of all kinds, ziti and rotini and corkscrew pastas, even ham slices!

I spent $60.95 and saved $34.98 - wow!!!

Right place, right time!

But I already knew that.

As I'd walked into Food Lion, I spotted a coppery gleam in the parking lot -

a 2021 penny for me!

I was even home before sundown, before the warmth was gone from the day.

i thank You, God.

whatever the weather...

I still made it to the service at Asbury Memorial Church for this first Sunday of 2025.

"I'm here, I'm here!", I wrote in the chatbox. "I wanted to be there in person for this first Sunday, but the chill factor kept me home. I am certainly there in spirit with y'all!"

I am so glad that this online, live-streamed, service is still available for those who cannot be there in person.

It began with the pandemic, but has continued.

i thank You, God.

As I noted last week, the weather has been a bit harsh, having highs that are in the 50's, and nights too cold for me to go outside.

Bear in mind that most of those temperatures come with a -6 chill factor, or wind chill, so mid-50's is really upper-40's.

Today, I knew Reverend Billy would be preaching about the Twelfth Day of Christmas, i.e., the Epiphany.

This is one of his favorite days to sermonize, and today's was titled "Reappearing Stars", with him talking of the Wisemen having to ask around for the location of the baby, as the star was not visible.

That reminds me of what I told Sarah Povie when she was small.

"Friends are always in your heart, even when you don't see them, just like the stars are always in the sky, even during the day."

(smile!)

Very nice sermon, and very nice memory for me!

Then came the other reason for my wanting to attend church today: communion.

Fortunately, I had grabbed one of these portable kits at the first Sunday in December!

That really helped me feel like part of the congregation, in spirit and for real.

i thank You, God.

Pop me, please!

"You want me to do what?"

 

Silly! I'm just quoting Mr. Shark. He says that line three times to Mr. Snake, each time hoping the orange Push-Up frozen treat will be given to him. Poor, trusting, Mr. Shark. It's like Charlie Brown believing that Lucy will hold the football in place for him to kick it.

Anyway, as I was watching the movie, it occurred to me: I had an orange Outshine popsicle in the freezer! I made sure I had it for the third time he said the phrase.

"Whoa, who, whoa! What are you talking about??"

I found out this evening that Peacock has added "The Bad Guys" to their lineup, so I watched it tonight. I do so love that animated movie!

"Yes, I remember you waxing rhapsodic about it back in the summer of '22, then again that fall. It really is a good one about second chances and being wary of stereotyping people. Or stereotyping animals."

Right! I've placed the movie into the "My Stuff" folder on the TV app. That way I won't have to scroll through hordes of stuff I'm not interested in to find it again. I really like being able to do that, though there is one bad habit Peacock has.

"Peacock has a bad habit?"

Yes, it does. It tries to bully me into binge-watching. It's like I'm not supposed to be there for a single movie, or a single episode of a series, or a single anything.

"You're going to have to walk me through this one, g'friend."

Okay, okay, I can do that. Here's a prime example of what I'm talking about. I watched a Christmas movie the other day, as I did during the holidays. And, as I was enjoying the song as the credits began, I had to jump up and grab the TV remote! Otherwise, Peacock was going to cue up another movie for me, whether I wanted that particular movie or not. Really is quite a bullying tactic.

"Maybe it just likes your company and wants you to stick around..."

 

... maybe they want me to stick around so they can insure they have an audience to watch the 'mercials that go along with so many of their offered movies and programs.

 

"Hey, you aren't paying peanuts for Peacock, and you know display rights have to be paid for anything they're airing. You know how that works. Plus, they have so few 'mercials compared to the other channels, and none of those are for lawyers or politicians or health insurance. Count your blessings, dearie, count your blessings!"

 

You're absolutely right. First world woe, and all that nonsense. (smile!)

8th day of hanukkah

I admit to having a certain fascination with the Jewish holiday this time around.

No doubt that is because it began at sundown on Christmas Day.

That got me pondering: what holidays did Jesus celebrate?

After all, there was no Christmas yet, nor Easter.

Neither of those would be created until hundreds of years after his death.

Actually, I take that back.

The resurrection of Jesus, which signaled the saving of mankind, was celebrated as early as within a generation of Jesus' death.

His apostle Paul wrote of it, with the date for the remembrance of Jesus as the "sacrificial Passover lamb" coinciding with that of Passover, a celebration of the freeing of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.

(Hence, the reason "The Ten Commandments" is always shown at that time of year when Passover, or Pascha, is observed. Christians regard the movie as part of the Easter, or Pascha, tradition, with families watching it annually.)

Within another five generations, i.e., by the mid-2nd century AD, the celebration of Jesus' resurrection was part of tradition with early Christians.

Early followers of the teachings of Christ also celebrated the birth of Jesus, but the date of December 25 was not settled upon for another two hundred years, according to historical records written between 336 and 354 AD.

Interesting stuff, right?

That brings me back to wdjd, to paraphrase a popular acronym from the twentieth century.

Jesus celebrated the traditional high holy days of Judaism, that's what he did.

They had all been around for a couple of thousand years by the time of his birth.

So that means he would have observed Pesach (Passover or Pascha), Shavuot (Pentecost), Kapar (Day of Atonement), Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication or Festival of Lights), and the Sabbath (starting at sunset on Friday and lasting Saturday until sunset, in accordance with the creation of Night and Light in a single Day).

Except for the Sabbath, these holidays are observed according to the Hebrew Calendar, which keeps track of lunar cycles - new moons, specifically - to mark its months.

The Hebrew Calendar is currently on Year 5785.

That's quite different from the Gregorian Calendar, isn't it?!

Considering that a lunar cycle is 28 days, and the months in the Gregorian Calendar have different numbers of days, it's understandable that the two calendars used by Jews and Christians would not overlap often.

The last time Hanukkah overlapped with Christmas was in 2005.

This time around, the first DAY of Hanukkah was Boxing Day, December 26.

The first NIGHT of Hanukkah began at sundown of Christmas Day.

Today is the eighth, and final, DAY of Hanukkah for Year 5785.

Did I do anything in particular to denote that passage of time?

Did I receive gifts for those eight days?

Did I sing Hanukkah songs or play with a dreidel or light a menorah?

Well..

I blogged about it.

(smile!)