gone back to the beach, please look there

That's right, I've left this beachwalking space for the place where it all began for me.

I shall hope for visitations there. 

As always, thank you for thinking of me.

Happy year of the Snake!

dawn of new year's eve!

That's right, this is my second new year's eve of 2025! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

"Hey, g'friend! Glad to see the weather has finally improved."

You and me both, sister! It's so very good to be out of the house again. Even better, to have luncheon with one of my favorite people!

"Dawn!!! That must mean y'all are dining at The King & I for Thai?"

You betcha! 

"But wait... I'm confused. Isn't she supposed to be in New Jersey for surgery?"

Well, that donation of her kidney to her cousin has been postponed. Her cousin failed her pre-op appointment two weeks ago. It seems her liver enzymes are elevated and so now she has to see a liver specialist to find out what's going on.

"Oh, no! Do they know what may have caused it?"

Well, Dawn and I were talking and I told her that my bet is on the meds Kim was given last month when she was hospitalized for pneumonia. If her liver is now an issue, chances are those medications were a strain on that toxic waste site. All of those metabolites from the drugs had to be processed by the liver and, with the kidneys not filtering waste as they should, that was extra work for the liver.

"Damn. Do they know which liver enzymes are effected?"

Dawn told me it's the alkaline phosphatase that's elevated. It's unknown at this time if some other disease is at fault, or if it's a temporary elevation resulting from the pneumonia meds, but her cousin goes next Tuesday to the specialist. As I told Dawn, that will mean a series of tests and more doctor visits, so the kidney transplant may well be postponed for a couple of months. Meanwhile, I recommended to her that she go ahead and line up to meet with her clients and get this new year started with her career.

"That's true. I doubt anything will go on with the transplant until March, at least."

My money is on May. The specialist will order another test, which will take time. Then there will be the followup visit about that test, with most likely another test to be scheduled, with yet another followup with the doc, and so on. That will eat up at least two months. I remember burning through an entire summer with a specialist - Dr. Edward Rydzak - with tests and visits about abdominal bloating, only to find out I was lactose intolerant. Seriously, an entire summer! That was in 2008.

"I remember that quite well. Perhaps Dawn's cousin will weather this storm in good time, and still get to the point of being transplant-worthy."

I do hope so. I truly do. This is going toward her third year on dialysis.

polish onion soup

Every time I have beef broth and Swiss cheese in the house, I think about making French Onion Soup, but I hardly ever do.

Tonight, though, I concocted a variation on that theme.

I've named it "Polish Onion Soup".

That's because the star of the dish is Mrs. T's Classic Onion Pierogies.

I happened to have all the ingredients at hand and the recipe created itself!

Perhaps knowing I will have my first luncheon of the new year tomorrow with Dawn helped.

Ordinarily, she would be hosting her January Soup Party, but not this year.

She's donating one of her kidneys to her cousin and had expected to be out of town.

However, the renal transfer has been delayed... so we two get to dine together!

Anyway, the topic at hand is "soup" and here are the directions.

Every three-pierogi serving is accompanied by 1/2 cup of beef broth.

I opted to cook the entire box of pierogi at one time, placing them into 2 c of the boiling broth, with a teaspoon of minced garlic for flavor.

I chose the Swanson Unsalted, Fat-free, Beef Broth, which is quite tasty by itself.

So, bring the broth to a boil, carefully drop in the pierogi, return to a boil, then let the pierogi cook for about 3 minutes.

Place three pierogi into a bowl, add 1/2 c of the broth, then top with a slice of Swiss cheese.

Quite tasty!!!

the roof! the roof! the roof is free of snow!

"Most excellent! So glad to see that most of the front yard is also devoid of the white stuff! But where's the blue car?"

 

I took the photo from my car! We had been out and about today. Hooray!!! We took a nice, leisurely, stroll down to Tybee Beach, basking in the sun along the way.

 

"Look at her shine! So, the weather song hit some higher notes?"

That it did, reaching for the upper 50's this time. Tuesday and Wednesday should be great!

"So I see. And those lows aren't nearly as horrific as they've been. I did notice in the top photo that the street seems dry now."

 

You're correct! Not that there aren't patches of snow runoff to cause alarm, but I took my time driving. Fortunately, not many folks were on Highway 80. There were just the bridges to give me pause, but they were pretty dry, too. Plus, I was home from the Tybee Post Theatre well before dark, before the colder temps returned.

 

"I'm so happy for you! I know you had a crazy case of FOMO cabin fever going on. It seems that four days is pretty much your limit for stuck at home due to weather."

 

I did, and, having missed out on events yesterday, I was determined not to forego this lecture. As I told Wesley Pridgen, I've had my ticket for "On The Wings Of Shorebirds: Building Connections For Coastal Protection" ever since November 14th. Remember, this was the lecture that had to be rescheduled last fall because of Hurricane Helene. So, as soon as I saw it back on the TyPostTh roster, I signed up for it again!

And I sat in my favorite seat: I-18, which felt good, even though the chairs are new.

(smile!)

That's Allie Hayser giving us the scoop of Red Knots. Really cool birds that fly from the southern tip of Chile, South America, all the way to a marshland in Alaska, USA, in North America, stopping off for fuel at some favorite watering holes along the way. Here, they come for the protein-rich eggs of Horseshoe Crabs.

 

"That sounds familiar. Have you heard about this before?" 

Actually, I have! And from this young woman, Abby Sterling! She was part of the One Hundred Miles lecture in 2019. I had a lovely chat with her today before they started, and she said she remembered me from that day! How about that!!!"

She and Allie are both with Manomet Conservation Sciences. Their goal is to get beach goers and boaters more interested in the birds so they will care what happens to them. To that end, there will be the first-ever Shorebird Festival in February, at the Tybee Marine Science Center and the pavilion. I'm looking forward to that! 

I'm so glad I was able to go to this today!

i thank You, God!

goth girl blog day, kinda sorta

What a wondrous thing: the world blanketed by an endless sheet of white snow.

All of that brightness truly brings out the blackness of everything else.

How grand it all is.

Not even the blue of the sky could detract from the feeling inside me.

I couldn't help but run toward the dark embrace of the forest ahead, my footsteps echoing from the gnarly crunch of ice under each step.

My children were astonished as they watched me.

I never run... never.

But today was special.

This smothering of the world below the whiteness won't last.

I'm going to make the most of it while I can on this GGBD and revel in the darker blacks.

day 25 of 2025

I was invited to a Chinese New Year party, but could not go.

 

My former bowling buddy, Brantley Moate, of the GLBT & Friends League in 2008 hosted it with his husband.

 

That was this afternoon.

This evening, I had a ticket for a staged reading of "The Savannah Sipping Society".

 

I saw the funny play nine years ago when The Collective Face Ensemble performed it.

This time, I knew two of the readers: Genie Brazzeal and Danielle Houston!

Knowing it was to be performed in a small venue, I went ahead and actually purchased my ticket in advance, on January 10th.

That's because Prokop's early forecast had called for highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's.

 

Lesson learned: only buy on the day of the event.

At least there were two good things this afternoon.

For the first time since Tuesday, I had mail.

Hopefully the letter I was waiting for will come on Monday, but I will just have to bide my time and see.

The other good thing was this: figure skating championships on TV!

 

This young couple were recreating scenes from a 19th century French opera by Georges Bizet: "Carmen".

 

Full of passion and written by the 36-year-old Bizet, it was a wondrous work to accompany their graceful and energetic ice skate.

 

They finished in second place, too!!!

 

Good for them!

 

Today's high barely hit 50 F, which isn't that bad.

However, the wind chill knocked it down another ten degrees, which meant my cabin fever self wasn't going anywhere.

Not during the day, and certainly not after sunset, when the temps rapidly dropped into the 30's by 9 PM.

One of my neighbors, the Thompson family, has a drone and posted the above on fb.

See my house?

It's to the left of the one with the pool in the back yard.

See my car?

It hasn't moved since Sunday.

The photo was taken on Wednesday, when the snow was still mostly pristine.

Still, vehicles are at the side of the park of people determined to play frisbee golf.

Hope springs eternal, though it was short-lived.

They've come faithfully daily, lugging their bags of frisbees out to the first goal.

Playing in the 40's wasn't any fun, apparently.

Within thirty minutes, they'd rush back to their vehicles and leave, crushing their tires across the rutted ice grooves on the street and trying not to hit the light pole.

Today, I've posted the photo as my fb page cover shot.

Cuz'n Jeff, now retired in Missouri from Nebraska, commented right away.

 

"So pretty! Really unusual for you. Huh?"

I'd replied, "Jeff, very unusual. In the past, when we've gotten the white stuff, temps warm back up quickly and it's gone. Not so this time, as it's been below freezing every night. That means I've been trapped in my house, as my a-fib heart cannot tolerate anything below 50 F. This has sucked long, green, fuzzy ones."

Then I added, "This might as well be ash from nuclear fallout."

My dear friend Yvonne got a kick out of that.

She's from New Jersey, many years ago now, and hasn't missed the snow.

I can't wait for it to melt and be gone.

At least the electricity has worked, and so has the cable.

Peacock has kept me entertained, between "Scrubs" and movies.

Now, I'm going to watch "2:22", a science fiction mystery from 2017 that I missed.

almost out of the hell created by enzo

This is me, all dressed up with no place to go, to paraphrase Meat Loaf.

 

Hard to believe it's been three years, to the date, since I wrote about his death and that song.

 

I was supposed to have an in-person appointment with my PCP today, but Enzo's frozen Hell caused that to be changed yesterday into a Video type.

 

Today, just about an hour ago, the 6-month check-up morphed into two phone calls, one from nurse Sarah, the other from Ms. Susan Barker.

We're all having a bit of cabin fever, but took time to engage in some laughter.

 

That was good.

 

None of us have seen anyone outside our houses since this all began.

Clearly folks in my neighborhood have been driving, crushing the icy ruts into liquid which will freeze again tonight.

My little Saturn has been shedding its mantle of white, as has the driveway.

That gives me hope of perhaps taking the car on a tour of our environs tomorrow, after the ground has again warmed away the black ice.

I certainly don't want us to end up topsy-turvy like this idiot.

 

CEMA posted this on fb, repeating its warning: stay off the streets!

 

The city is trying hard to make our roadways safe, but Looney Toon characters keep taking their clown cars - with no snow tires, no snow chains - out for a spin.

 

Literally and figuratively.

The transplants from northern states are definitely part of the problem.

 

I watched one of them almost slide into the light pole as they tried to maneuver this turn.

 

They're a bit spoiled, having come from towns that have snow plows and salt trucks, towns that have winter cold from October through May.

 

That's not what we have at 32 degrees N latitude.

 

Moreover, that's not what we want, either.

 

Nor is it what the transplants want.

 

I'm ready to have nights that don't go below freezing for hours and hours... but that won't be until Sunday.

 

I'm ready for days that don't come with a -12 wind chill that detracts from their temperatures during the day.

 

I'm ready to get out of Hell...

please.

day after enzo

This is what it looked like outside at 12:58 AM.

 

I had taken a peek as I was going to bed.

 

Winter Storm Enzo had been circling the house, jabbing here and there with his bony, cold, fingers.

 

My front yard was the only one that still showed grass.

 

My little blue car was outlined in snow, but it was too dark for my camera to see it.

 

When I awakened at 6:37 AM to pee, I peeked outside again.

 

White, white, white, as far as the eye could see.

 

All of my front yard was blanketed.

 

Even the two liriope at the end of my sidewalk were just indiscriminate mounds of white.

Back to my warm bed I went.

At 9 AM, I rose again, briefly.

Time to take Synthroid and check outside.

The liriope had also risen from its covering of snow, its dark green leaves triumphant above the white!

 

Good for it!

 

Even the taller grass of the spiral around the Japanese magnolia was visible again!

 

And what about the back yard? 

 

The bird bath was piled high with collected snow.

 

No worries, that would eventually be water for the aviary bunch that share my property!

 

The yard itself wore a white blanket, but it was lightly glistening.

 

Was it already warming in the sun?

 

Back to my warm covers I went, to await coffee time and a reason to rise.

 

Not so my little great-nieces in Hinesville!

 

They had missed the snow of 2014, so this was their very first chance to make snow angels.

 

The joke was on them!

 

The temperatures had frozen the snow... making them little snow devils instead!

 

Hahahaha!

 

At 10:30 AM, coffee was made and so was soup.

 

The temperature outside was 30 F, with a wind chill that knocked it down to 19 F.

 

That made the 60 F inside my house seem almost balmy by comparison.

 

I'm so glad I put the sheet up on Friday night to block the sunroom off.

I heard that snow devil Enzo scratching to get through last night!

After dining on warm liquids for breakfast, I checked outside again.

It was beautifully sunny, but the temperature was still hovering at 30 F.

The icicles on my eaves were steadily drip-drip-dripping, shedding their frozen dihydrogen oxide.

The snow in my front yard was sparkling with millions of minuscule diamonds, as my car continued to be draped under its blanket of white.

 

As for the rest of my front yard, there had been a change by that time.

 

Even the area in the shade was nearly devoid of its snowy covering!

 

Perhaps the longer grass there, left unmowed since I last ran the Ryobi, had harbored ground heat?

That would explain why mine was the only yard that showed any grass at all.

Everyone else scalps their grassy areas.

That's okay, though.

I have no reason to venture outside until Friday, when I have my 6-month check up with my PCP.

 

While the weather song heads for higher notes, I'll watch "The Madame Blanc Mysteries" on Acorn TV.

Thanks, Comcast.

is that you, clark gable?

I woke to a dream about Ronnie that had me sobbing...

before coffee...

on a Tina Tuesday.

In the dream, it was warm weather and I had the window of my first floor apartment open to the breeze from the garden.

Suddenly a huge, knobby tire appeared, taking up the entire window casement.

Someone was maneuvering a huge Jeep and needed that window space to get the vehicle moved... or did they?

As the tire receded from the opening, I looked out.

Was that a familiar Clark Gable face on the man driving?

Grinning at me, he waved bye...

was that my brother Ronnie???

Later, I was out and about and passed by a police officer in a Jeep...

a tall, good-looking guy with dark hair and movie star appeal...

it was Ronnie...

having another go at life...

as a young cop.

Wow.

Still makes me tear up with happiness for him.

 

I'm glad the ex called with a distraction right after I awoke.

The Church Street Inn property has been sold to LaTour Hotels and they have offered to buy out all the owners of the alternate-years options.

That's right: buy them out.

Not like Diamond Resorts did, with me having to pay them to get free.

What a coincidence, though, that this has occurred.

He and I had a textversation about that Charleston property in mid-November.

He had asked if I was interested in using it this time, as they could not.

I told him we needed to get my name off it "while I am alive".

Now, there's to be a vote on January 31st and my signature was needed so we could both legally be shed of it.

i thank You, God.

I can do that.

Timing is everything.

There are no accidents.

looks like Irwin was correct

Every time I went to the AMC cinema for the past four or five days, Irwin has talked to me about snow in Savannah.

Every time he did, I would protest that we would not be getting snow, not at 32 N latitude.

Nope, nope, nope.

Now, it turns out I was mistaken.

If Pat Prokop says snow will be falling, then snow will definitely fall.

 

The retired meteorologist isn't the only source for that news, of course.

Chatham Emergency Management Agency posted this on fb at 3 PM.

"CEMA Alert:
Winter Storm Warning
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM TUESDAY TO NOON EST WEDNESDAY
* WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet
accumulations up to one inch and ice accumulations up to one
quarter of an inch.
* WHERE...Coastal Bryan, Coastal Chatham, Coastal Liberty, Coastal
McIntosh, Inland Bryan, Inland Chatham, Inland Liberty, Inland
McIntosh, and Long Counties.
* WHEN...From 5 PM Tuesday to noon EST Wednesday.
* IMPACTS...Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will
likely become slick and hazardous. Plan on slippery road
conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday
evening and Wednesday morning commutes."

 

Hallie of Louisiana - my sil's sil - tried to inject a note of humor, Cajun style.

Sneaux Bingeaux just may be a game I'd play, too, especially if Thibodeau and Boudreau were sitting in at the table.

I even already have several squares I could fill!

I have milk, I have bread, I'm dripping those faucets, my snacks are ready to be eaten up, and I have several cans of Progresso Chicken & Sausage Gumbo in the pantry.

Oh, yes, and the schools will be closed!

That gives me a lucky seven squares, including the free space.

Not a bingeaux yet, but getting there.

 

I plan to adopt Patrick Young's philosophy, too.

"If you choose

not to find joy

in the snow

You will have

less joy in your life

but still

the same amount of snow."

 

That sounds a lot like that Tibetan proverb I like about worry. 

"If the problem can't be solved, 

there's no use worrying about it.

If it can be solved,

worrying will do no good."

Last time I checked, I had no control over the weather.

I still do not have any control over the weather.

I only have control over my response to the weather.

That's why I watch the WSAV Weather Song, so I can stay in tune.

(smile!)

a day of transformations

I was ready for it, too, and had a game plan in place, but I had lovely surprises as well.

 

I checked the WSAV Weather Song for any changes, but found none.

 

Tonight, the weather goes straight to Hell and stays there all week.

That was right before 11 AM and solidified my goal this morning of making it to church for a live, in-person, sermon.

 

Because of low temperatures, this would be the first time this year for me to be there on a Sunday.

 

I told Rev. Billy when I saw him on Tuesday that I would see him "when the temperatures are at least 50 by 11 AM"... and today they were!

 

That meant I was there to experience the transformation of water into wine, done as only he could preach it.

 

I could practically taste the fruity beverage that the Son had made to please His Mother, Mary.

Afterward, off to the cinema I went!

 

Today is National Popcorn Day, and that's what I was having for lunch... plus, a free refill for this coming week.

 

That proved to be the perfect accompaniment for "Wolf Man", all about the transformation of a kind-hearted man (Christopher Abbott) into a savage creature, albeit one that still knew his wife and daughter.

 

Honestly, I had tears at the end!

That completed my A*List, too.

 

Knowing the days would be too cold this week for matinees, I went ahead and took care of two shows on Friday.

 

That's not to say I watched both of them, mind.

 

I caught the new one with Tilda Swinton - "The Room Next Door" - and found it to be more emotionally intense than I'd expected.

 

Afterward, I bought a ticket for "Sing Sing", as if I were doing a double header, then left.

 

It isn't that I wouldn't love to see it again, and probably will if it remains another week, but I didn't have time on Friday, as I had other plans and needed a hug.

 

So, back to the present, shall we, with making the plans to allow me to ride out the hell to begin on Monday?

 

That meant a trip to Jason's Deli for a Salad Bar To-Go!

 

Barbara is the one I credit with showing me how to appreciate the use of these ready-prepped vegetables and fixings to transform multiple meals into fresh experiences.  

But that's not what I ate first!

 

I've had an intense craving for pizza after being bombarded by Papa John's emails all week.

 

Two slices of this Kid's Meal Pepperoni Pizza from Jason's scratched that itch, with the rest for another time, for just $5.

 

Oh, yes, that worked out perfectly!

Dinner found the broccoli florets and crumbled bacon combined with Cilantro Lime rice for a taste that was fresh and even healthy.

 

Plus, it wasn't soup, as I am sure I'll have plenty of that in the near future.

 

Speaking of that food, that's what "Beauty And The Beast" had for dinner.

 

This is the 2017 version, with Dan Stevens in the transformation role.

 

First, he's a prince by name but not by deed, earning him a change into a creature when he ticks off a sorceress.

 

Then, near the time when he will have to stay a beast for the rest of his life, he finds love and kindness that transforms his character.

 

In turn, that change in his very nature eventually allows him to regain his form as a man.

 

Such kindness that shines from his eyes then... as it did from the Wolf Man's eyes.

 

I'm glad life offered him a second chance.

something fishy down at tybee!

Literally!!!

There were three men on the stage at Tybee Post Theatre, with one of them sitting on what was clearly a beer cooler as he played piano.

That was Bland Simpson, who must be loved by his students at UNC.

The other two fellows strummed their guitars amid a mess of fishing gear strewn about.

That's Don Dixon on the left, with Jim Wann in the center of the stage.

Did that last name ring a bell?

Well it should have, as he's the man behind "Pump Boys And Dinettes"!!!

I loved that musical!!!

Tonight's show was more of a concert strung together by stories, though I do believe someone told me it was a musical.

Nope!

"King Mackerel & The Blues Are Running" was certainly entertaining, but not a musical.

The fellows all met while in college at UNC-Chapel Hill and have been making music as The Coastal Cohorts trio for forty years now.

FORTY YEARS!!!

Word is that this will be the last year they perform this show.

The good news is twofold.

First, they were here to fundraise for this venue, so all the money stayed here on Tybee.

Second, the show had been recorded for PBS some few years ago, and can be listened to over on youTube, right here.

I'm just glad I finally talked myself into going.

The show was almost completely sold out, but I snagged seat K-9, midway on the row.

The folks who should have sat to my right never showed up.

On my left were a couple of snowbirds from Maine and I had a nice chat with her.

In front of me was a groupie who knew the Cohorts very well and she was glad to share the stories that she knew of them! 

My guess is that she went to college with them.

 

My favorite song was during Act II, with Don Dixon singing.

He has a nice rasp to his voice, akin to that of Joe Cocker, and in "I Can Hear The River" that rasp reached right into my soul...

wow.

I found out after I got home that Joe Cocker did a cover of that song...

wow.

I still like Dixon's version better.

are you an artist?

That's the question that Cindy Liu - not to be confused with Cindy Lou Who! - asked me.

She's the leader of HA HA HA, a group that holds art workshops for seniors, and perhaps others, too.

One of her assistants took a photo of me, then printed it while I busied myself with a blank 5x7 card, coloring it in spontaneous fashion, as I do.

That means a Spirograph-type pattern emerged, right?

So, when the young woman brought me the sticker with me on it, she expected I would place it in the center of the paper, as most folks did.

Yeah, I'm not 'most folks', am I?

(smile!)

I folded back part of the sticker, then placed it in the lower right corner.

"Me and the Scribble Flower"

I really like it, and so did they, taking my photo with it to post on their Instagram page.

I'll have to look it up!

(smile!)

That wasn't the only 'masterpiece' I created today.

I also "Pansy Through A Rainy Window" in the 'flow' watercolors workshop.

That's one of the many workshop tables that were set up on the second and third floors of the Jepson for the museum's Free Family Fun Day for the PULSE18 exhibit.

I had hoped to be joined by some of my great-nieces and great-nephews, but their absence didn't stop me from participating in the creative bits!

(smile!)

Not that I was the only adult participating, nor the only older person having art there.

This moderated chevron design was crafted by ten senior veterans, using markers, cloth, batik, and paint at the Georgia Sheriff's Office.

What an appropriate image for former military!

 

That's just one of the pieces from this season's "Making Marks" exhibit.

All are fairly large-scale, with the smallest still using six squares of cloth knotted together to form an all-encompassing design.

I missed the opening night for this exhibit in December, due to the weather as I recall.

That's why I made sure to view it on Thursday when I came early for the PULSE opener.

 

The piece that had grabbed me then was this one.

I have to admit, the bright colors may have drawn me to it, but the title kept me there.

"Aphasia Tied Together With Hope And Love" -  remarkable!

How wonderful to be able to use imagery when vocal language skills are lost, n'est-ce pas?

"Making Marks" will be on display through April 5th, so I'll have to visit it again.

(smile!)

Meanwhile, it was 3 PM and time for the event I'd specifically come for today!

Tybee Ballet Theater had created dances to correlate to the works of two of the local artists who were part of the "Certified Humans" exhibit.

 

The first dance, "The Garden", had six dancers in black, descending singly down the stairs to each side within Neises Auditorium, to join together on the stage.

Throughout their descent and dance, Michael Betancourt's piece was projected on three sides of the auditorium.

Very cool!

The second dance also featured his work, but only projected on the front wall.

"La Fee Electricite" featured only a single dancer, clad in white, with enormous, flowing, sleeves that were swirled about in time with the music.

Such very graceful dancing that was, and exactly right for The Electricity Fairy!

That's her in the lower right, with her shadow reflected on the back wall... just follow the image on the floor between the two.

Very lovely dance... and I swayed in my seat the whole time!

(smile!)

Then there's the third dance, with James Gladman's "Cosmodities" projected on the three walls of the space.

That one didn't work for me.

The TEMU-derived imagery was so dominant that the three, black-clad, dancers were fairly well invisible.

Then again, maybe that was the point?

Perhaps.

It's all about perspective.

(smile!)