not soup!

After five meals in a row of soup,
I took great joy in having solid food tonight.
Where was I?
At the Galley at Armstrong, of course.
Was Kevin with me on this Tuesday?
Nope, he stayed home with a cold.
Not me! I treated myself to finally
seeing "Jumanji" at Spotlight.
What great fun! I want to see it again!

It was as if "The Breakfast Club" had been updated to include role-playing video games for today's young folks. Seriously, it was great fun... and felt "true", you know?
I had been invited to join Barbara and others at the Regal afterward. I had even been on my way to that cinema when I realized that I was really hungry. Popcorn simply was not going to do. Not when I knew the Galley had pork schnitzel and braised cabbage... no, food took precedence over a second movie.
After all, I had been working up an appetite all day.
Doing what, you ask?
Making up packages to surprise some of the children in my life.

I had purchased these six 3-D wooden puzzles at Ripley's Aquarium on the 4th.
Now was the time to mail them.
I'll have cats here on Thursday and I don't know how full that day - and the days to follow - may be for me.
Great-niece Ally and niece Aubree will each receive a sea turtle.
Great-nephew Kobe and nephew Conner are getting the fierce
sharks to construct.
Great-niece Caitlyn and nephew Merritt shall have the graceful dolphins.
I know all will be quite happy with these "thinking of you" gifts. I do hope they will do as I've requested and send me a photo of them with their completed projects.
I will be thrilled with that!

I also found the old photograph of my step-dad, Frank, as a little boy with curly hair. Molly, my niece from stepsister Jean, had spoken to me at church a few weeks ago, wondering from whence came her curly locks. I told her she got those from Pop and that I had a photo to prove it. I'm so glad I found it earlier today!
Bonnie, my stepmom, will be receiving an issue of "Reminisce" that features Elvis on the cover. Several stories are in it of folks' recollections of going to his concerts or watching his movies. I've had the magazine for quite a while, in a "safe place", so it's a wonder I found it a day or so ago.
My ex will be getting a surprise package, too. It will contain the manufacturer sticker from his first new car, the 2001 blue Saturn SC1 that was totaled less than ten hours after driving it off the lot. I also found the paperwork for his Church Street Inn property - no need for me to have that still!
Let's see, what else did I do?
Oh, yes... I finally mailed those 'Thank you' notes I wrote yesterday!
Good to have all of that done.
What a satisfying day t has been!
I even went to the grocery store after my dinner at the Galley and picked up the things I've been missing the past few days. Little things, you know, like tortilla chips and sliced cheese and cereal.
Speaking of which, some cereal would be right tasty right now.
Catch you on the flip side!
(smile)

cards from myrtle's gay dolphin

While in Myrtle Beach, I found these lovely note cards at The Gay Dolphin. I hadn't intended to purchase anything, you understand... but I have a weakness for nice stationery. The boxes featured the work of a local artist, Mike Booher, on ten cards; the box had been marked down from $5.99 to only 97 cents. What a bargain! So, I bought two boxes.
That was in addition to my two magnets and my smashed penny.
(smile)
Today, I've been writing Thank-You notes to those who sent me Christmas gifts.
One went to my cousin Penny for the "Chemistree" sweater.
The second is off to Paris - that's Tennessee, y'all - to outlaw Kathy for a silver "Christmas ornament" cheese plate and spreader.
A third will travel to my Aunt Barbara for the fancy dark-green blouse and the scrumptious Christmas dinner.
Another goes to Nami for the cookie jar of salted caramel crisps and the kitchen towel featuring all nine reindeer.
Then, there's one to update my youngest brother.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
"Dear Tony,
Hey! I meant to come visit yesterday, but my friend Joe came down from Atlanta. Our friend Jim Reed was part of a concert featuring the music of Tom Petty, so Joe came to hear him. Then we all met up afterward at The Diner for "breakfast". Joe stayed at my house Saturday night. He took me out to brunch yesterday at The Original Pancake House, then we went to the house his parents own and rent out on Maupas Street. That house has been such a time and money drain! The roof is in need of a lot of work. Joe left a key with me so I can let the workers in, whenever that finally gets scheduled. What a mess. By the time he left at 3:30, your visitation was over.
Do you work on Saturdays? That day may end up being better for me, if it is for you. I would most likely go there around 11 AM or so. Your thoughts on this?
I do hope your job is going well. I'm sure you're learning new skills and that is always a good thing.
Okay, I need to take a break. I've been cat-proofing my house. My friend Ed DeVita - who I've known since 1991 - has asked me to board his three cats while his house gets repaired over the next "two months, max" he says. He had a tree fall and punch a hole in his roof during Hurricane Irma and when they started fixing that hey found termite damage. Ugh. Termite damage is so nasty.
Anyway, I'm the only person he knows who doesn't have dogs or kids and who likes cats. Tag, I'm it!
It's going to be an adventure, for sure.
with much love!"

a question, a proposal, and a favor

Ed had used those words when he had texted me a week earlier.
He wanted to meet for lunch because he had "a question, a proposal, and a potential favor to ask". Being old-school, he wanted to be face-to face, not relying on misinterpretation inherent in text messages or a drawn-out phone call.
The meeting on Tuesday had to be cancelled, due to his medical issues.
Today was the day I would find out more.
Boy howdy, did I!

The question?
He wanted to know if I was still doing any writing.
(smile)
I responded that I am keeping three blogs active, with two having regular postings.
He was glad to hear that. He knew I had written movie reviews for "Good Times" and for "Creative Loafing", once upon a time in the 1990's. I wonder if he ever read those reviews? No matter. On to the next item!

The proposal?
He was getting his newspaper, the Savannah Sports Monthly, started back up again, after a hiatus of several months. Would I be interested in writing local color pieces for it? For pay, of course! He would set up the interviews, I would go to them, maybe have a camera person there, too. Then I would write the pieces, mostly about kids.
He knew he could trust me to write the pieces sensibly, with heart.. and that they would be grammatically correct.
I enthusiastically responded that I would!
This semester will be perfect for that type of work, as I am only teaching the one class at Armstrong. And the job would be perfect for me, as I will need the extra money.
I'm ready to meet more people, too, so that will be a nice way to do so.
Hey! Maybe I can even interview Sue's kids!
Now, that would be great fun!
(smile)

So, two down, one to go.
As it would turn out, those were two softballs, lobbed for easy hits.
The last item was a true hardball, pitched at speed dead-center of home plate.

The potential favor?
Would I keep his THREE CATS while his house was undergoing repairs? It had been damaged in Hurricane Irma when a tree punched through the roof. While that work was being assessed, they found termite damage, too.
He says the repairs will hopefully be done in the next six weeks, two months at most.
Right now, the cats are all together and being boarded at the veterinarian on DeRenne.
It's very important that the cats all be together. They are siblings and have been together since birth. That was seven years ago.
He understood that this was a huge favor...
all the time looking at me with those big, brown eyes...
and he would "owe me, big time"...
but I was the only person he knew that didn't have dogs or children.
I was even "Trish approved", which is a big deal.
I was stunned by the request.
To cat-sit on the cat's own turf is one thing.
To care for cats in an unfamiliar setting, well, that's quite a horse of a different color.
And, to care for three, none of which have ever met me before...
that's a lot of responsibility.
That's certainly a lot of responsibility for me. I havn't had an animal companion since Toffee died in October of 1980.
That's been more than three decades ago.
And Ed wanted me to take on three of his little dears?
I balked.
I could tell he really needed this to happen. The stress of trying to find shelter for Elton, Anne, and Champ was being further enhanced by the Parkinson's.
I told him I would think about it for a couple of days.
And I will...
but I'm not making any promises.
And if I do agree, Ed is going to have to help.
He's already told me that he would clean the litter boxes and he will buy the food and bring their toys and pay me for boarding them.
I'm going to want him to help keep them company, to sit and pet them, to make sure they know they still belong to him.

Now, to give this all a rest.
I think I'll treat myself to a doubleheader at the cinemas. I can see "Proud Mary" at the Carmike for the cheapie matinee price. Then, at the Regal, I can watch "Molly's Game" for free - with my Crown Club points - and have free popcorn, thanks to Paramount Pictures.
Two movies, featuring two strong women - that will be a nice distraction!

first day of class, 1st day warm!

The snow has finally melted from my yard, both front and back!
Hallelujah!
By the time I was eating breakfast, the temperature outside was already 46 °F.
Hallelujah!
That's the warmest it has been in eight days.
i thank You, God.

This was my first night of teaching this spring semester.
I washed clothes and visited with Nami before school. Everyone there was in a better mood now that the bitter cold has finally released its death grip on us.
I was able to go there without wearing my coat!
Of course, I was wearing a T-shirt beneath my sweater... but not having to wear my heavy coat and scarf and hat and mittens was a big deal! I haven't been able to walk around without those for the past eight days.
i thank You, God.

I did wear my heavy coat when I went to school... but I didn't need to snap it closed.
When I went from my office to the classroom, requiring me to walk between the two buildings of the Science Center, I even left my coat in my office...
and I was fine!
i thank You, God.

After class, I decided to finally go out to a movie. You know, in a cinema... at night. This was the first time for that in almost two weeks, mostly because of the cold. And the ice on the roads and the slush on the ground.
I had hoped to see "Coco" one more time, with my free movie pass. However, when I heard its screening room was cold, I backed out.
What else to see for free?
"The Greatest Showman" was available... and it was in a warm room... and I've been wanting to see it since before it came to the cinemas.
So, with my free popcorn - thanks AMC for the survey - and a tiny Coca-Cola ICEE, off I went to see Hugh Jackman as the ultimate purveyor of oddities, P.T. Barnum.
I was captivated from the very first moment.
So many thrilling songs and exciting dance steps and dazzling colors... oh my!
I can't wait to see it again!
i thank You, God, for this day, and this night, of warmth and love.
(smile)

i thank You, also, for this message at 3:57 AM:

It's got nothing to do with being a perfect, goody-goody, selfless, sacrificing, spiritual saint, Faustina. Blah! That whole characterization was meant for a different audience at a different time, and they really had issues.
It's got everything to do with being yourself, trusting the magic, following your heart, dreaming big, and having fun.
Hosanna in the highest,
The Universe

I really needed that.
Nice time, too.
(smile)

so... tired... of ... being... cold

Tonight, I had worked my shift as a volunteer usher at the Lucas. I was supposed to have worked there last night, too, but the below freezing temperatures and icy streets had scared me off. I felt the need to honor my commitment tonight, the only other night I was scheduled this month.
The night air was already in the mid-30's when I arrived, but I fortunately found a nearby parking place - and it was even free of slush and ice.
Moreover, my path to the theatre was free of slush and ice, too.
i thank You, God.
While there, I was able to visit with Carolyn and San, both volunteering like me. Joe and Lois came by, too. That was heart-warming, even if the weather was not.

The movie was "Metropolis",
a 1927 science fiction silent film.
Admonishing the human race
to keep community compassion (heart)
in between intellectual technology (head)
and the working people (hands),
the movie lasted 2 1/2 hours.

That meant the temperature
was brutally cold
by the time the film was done.
I practically held my breath
while almost running
the short distance to my car.
Then, I had to sit there
and try to catch my breath
so I could drive.


I cried all the way home, I was so cold.

I knew home was going to seem warmer, but that sensation would lessen soon.
I have been keeping my thermostat around 65 since returning from Myrtle Beach on Friday. That means I'm not warm at home and have had to stay bundled up all the time, drinking hot tea and eating soup for breakfast, soup for lunch, soup for dinner.
The only time I am warm is when I waken in the morning, after being in the delectable warmth of my bed and its heated mattress pad.
Why haven't I kept the thermostat on a more user-friendly setting?
Because my last gas bill was $115.
I am terrified of how high my next bill might be, after Winter Storm Grayson is finally done stroking its long icy fingers along my coastal town. The storm is a bomb cyclone, which seems to be very similar to a hurricane (tropical cyclone), except it develops over land at extratropical latitudes.
All I know for sure is this: I am so tired of being cold.
Now, I'm going to drink some hot tea and turn on my mattress pad and hope for better temperatures tomorrow.

blue-sky visit with family

After a successful morning foray through thinning ice and slush, and a filling meal from the BIG Coffee Hour, I took my rock for a drive out toward Bonaventure. Would it be open? Were the roads under those beautiful oaks freed from their sheets of ice?
It was! They were!
Hallelujah!

My first stop in Greenwich
was to check on this
beautiful angel.
Yes, she had survived the snow!
No signs of cracking
under the strain, either.
Hallelujah!

Then I carefully maneuvered along the still-icy lanes toward the Barry family plot.
Would there be snow on the graves?
No, there was not, though a patch of snow several inches deep lay to the shaded right side of the family marker.
I can only imagine how much of the frosty substance had lain atop the stones for Mama, Frank, George, Zaida, and her brother.

I stayed there for quite a while,
singing my version of
e.e. cumming's "Thank you",
admiring the beautiful blue sky above.
I even told George Kevin's joke
about the bear in the bar!
I think his laughter caused
the sun shower starburst on my car!
(smile)

The sun shower starburst showed up
at Jean Marie's marker, too!
I know my niece had a delightful
sense of humor -
maybe she liked the joke, too.
Yes, I choose to believe that,
I truly do!
(smile)

On my way back to the road again
I passed through Forest Lawn
and stopped to search through
all the heavy snow for
David Johnson's marker.
See that palm trunk on the left?
I think the stand of flowers
with the American flag
is at his grave site.
Now, time to go home for hot tea
and get out of this chill air!

i got a rock

On this Sunday which celebrated the baptism of Jesus, and in memory of my baptism so very many years ago, i received a rock. Submerged in a bowl of water amidst other mineral-laden stones, i chose it with my eyes closed, letting the universe guide me to it.
It's a very nice rock to represent God's unconditional love of me. So many facets interspersed with smooth surfaces, both with minor pitting. I like the idea of love lodged in the deeper places, providing a refuge when an edge becomes too close.

The email announcing the title of today's sermon had mistakenly given it as "It's Time For Otis Redding". Oops! The correction came moment's later, informing that it would be "Rejoicing In Our Imperfections".
Hahahaha hahaha!
Surely that is an inside joke now for all of us who were present!
(smile)
The focus of the sermon was on how uncomfortable Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John had been about talking of the baptism of Jesus. After all, as the Son of God, why would Jesus have needed to be cleansed of sin? I could tell that some of the congregation was a bit uncomfortable with the cncept, too.
However, as Reverend Billy Hester pointed out, the embarrassment of the apostles about the event actually served to authenticate it.
I have no problem believing that Jesus would want to be baptized to be cleansed of sin. He had lived as a boy and a teen male and a young man and was about thirty years old at the time. So, i ask you to consider the boys and male teens and young men that you have known. Free of sin? Not hardly.
Consider this also: the family of Jesus had encouraged him to be baptized, in particular to be baptized by John the Baptist. Why that man specifically? Well, John the Baptist may have been an uncle of Jesus. He also had been leading a movement of baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin, with those baptized then subsequently living a kinder existence with their fellow man.
Consider this also: Even today, by the thirtieth birthday, most people are generally considered wise. Perhaps his mother (Mary) had chosen that time to tell him the truth about his birth. She might have told him then that Joseph was not his birth father. She may have told him of her immaculate conception, of God's spirit creating Jesus within her uterus. She could have announced that he needed to know the truth so he could now live as the Son of God, not the son of man.
I can very much believe that Jesus would find himself at a moral crossroad, needing to forsake his past and accept his new responsibility. I can very much believe that he would see baptism as the means to shed the mantle of his human foibles and take up the cape for the saving of humanity.

Holy Communion was that much more meaningful today.
i thank You, God.

thanks, lori of wyndham

If Sunday had not been so cold, we would have been out and about, not at the resort.
But it was cold...
so we had chosen to explore the resort's Palmetto Tower.
If the beach had been warmer, we would have walked along for awhile before possibly returning inside at Palms Tower and our suite.

But it was very cold and very windy...
so we had returned to the warmth of Palmetto Tower, thinking to check out the store upstairs.
However, it was closed.
Returning downstairs, we were met by Lori, with her offer of $150 and free lunch for just two hours of our time.
If not for the weather still being 'bitterly cold' on Monday, we might have selected that day for the meeting.
Instead, I chose Tuesday, January 2, for the Wyndham resort pitch.
It wasn't until later that I had second thoughts, as that date marked the 17th year since Mama died...
but I kept that date, choosing to regard the outing as a gift...
and it was.
i thank You, God.

We had a nice lunch of chicken fingers, barbeque sandwiches, mac'n'cheese, green beans, and all the soda or tea we wanted. Two Hours and forty minutes later, we left there sated and one hundred fifty dollars richer. Hooray!
And, no, we bought nothing, politely declining repeatedly until they relented.
i thank You, God!

Rather than return to the confines of the suite, we opted to walk around at Broadway At The Beach. We went ahead and bought tickets for Ripley's Aquarium - thanks, Wyndham! - though it was too late to actually indulge. Instead, we visited the Paula Deene store, a huge two-story glass-lined structure, mostly to get out of the chill wind. Back in the wind, we fetched the car and headed to Dave & Buster's - time to spend some money! Plus, we still had our game cards, still unused, from the lunch there on Saturday. Time to break them in!

Break them in we did - and then some - for about an hour. I chose to kill aliens, drive fast cars, and drive even faster snowmobiles - oh, joy! She preferred the less-mobile games, like spearfishing, or tossing balls.

Time for us to allow Wyndham to buy us dinner! As good fortune would have it, we were there just in time for Team Trivia Tuesday! Hooray! So, we had a leisurely dinner, playing as "Karlin Smith", and ended up in 4th place! No prize for that, but it certainly was fun... and Nick, the TJ, was quite cute... sweet dreams, right?
You betcha!

Back to game-playing we went!
With my crazy-mad skills,
I managed to snag 2nd place
in my super-fast, souped-up ride!
Don't stop me now, folks!

Sandy, obviously, was not up to
the Autobahn-style speeds!
I guess that's why I did all
of the driving of her
brand-new Toyota Camry
on this trip...
with the Queen song
ringing in my ears much of the time -
oh, yeah! hahaha!

She may not have been a killer behind the wheel, but set her in front of a harpoon and she was positively deadly! With the aid of another game card - thanks, Wyndham! - she amassed a huge quantity of points. In fact, she had enough for a Wonder Woman soup mug to carry home as a souvenir. Brava!

Yesterday was another bone-chilling day, spent mostly at the suite as we waited for the snow. With more funds still to be spent, we 'did brunch' at Captain's Cafe in Palmetto Towers. As I said elsewhere, the Captain's Club, with fries, stood in quite nicely for bacon strips, toast, and hash browns. Thanks, Wyndham!

By late night,
the snow we had awaited
all day
began to fall...
and fall...
and fall,
thoughout the
early morning hours.

When we awakened and looked out around ten AM,
a snow-frosted landscape lay between us and
the parking garage.
Thick ice covered all concrete surfaces,
including the street we would have to cross.
Nonetheless, we had tickets for
Ripley's Aquarium and we were going!

When the temperature peeked above freezing,
we were out of the suite,
keeping to the snowy ground
and off the icy sidewalk.
This Southern Ray welcomed me
with open arms - I think he was trying to hug me!
He stayed right there with me
until the Ray Bay Dive Show began!

That was such fun!
I was so warm that I had taken off
my sweater and was wearing my Gray's Reef
Ocean Film Festival T-shirt.
How wonderful to be that warm!
Here, I was sharing a post-dive high five
with Meredith while Rachel talked
about the rays and sharks in the tank.

Here is another Southern Ray.
Looks like he might have
been exposed to the snow!
Maybe he was making snow angels
and still has some frosting!
(smile)

This spotted Eagle Ray was
such a beauty in Friendship Flats.
That was one of the three
petting pools on the premises.

These prehistoric beasts were
in yet another pool,
this one on the second floor.
One, two, three!
This horseshoe crab train
was created by tail-holding.
One, two, three!
Some barnacles had hitched
a ride on the caboose!

Guess what I was doing here?
Touching a moon jellyfish -
on purpose, too!
Apparently, their sting is quite mild,
but I still made sure to avoid tentacles.
Guess which ones are females?
The ones with the pink clovers!
True fact!

See that purple jelly,
the one with the moustache?
He also has seventy tentacles,
should you care to count them,
as well as a friendly mermaid.
How do I know all of that?
Because I created him!
What a fun game in Jelly Land!
(smile)

No petting was allowed here.
The Shark Tunnel had all manner
and size of toothy swimmers.
Sandy was quite happy to
keep her distance -
and her hands -
away from the many sharks inside.

See what I mean when I say
"toothy swimmers"?
I took this shot specifically
for my nephews in Beaufort.
I would truly enjoy going
to this aquarium with them -
I just know they would love it!

This was one of my favorites.
I had already taken a photo
of the sawfish, just by himself.
Then I passed by this sea fan
and couldn't resist taking another
or the "sawfish in the weeds",
with a shark lounging in the back.
Nice!

Time for another dive show!
For this adventure in the depths,
Rachel was in the water while
Meredith spoke of fish and coral.
We were at Rainbow Rock,
home of corals and tangs galore!
Having trouble finding Rachel?
Check out those lurid blue fins!
(smile)

Here's a close-up of some
of that aquatic life.
You do realize that corals are
fauna, like us, right?
They are certainly not flora,
though they are brilliantly hued.

Not only are they brilliant,
but the colors are diverse, too,
with rich reds and dark purples
and every color of the rainbow!
Some of the corals in the tanks
were artificial, but these
are 100% genuine and in a
special protective tank.

No photo book taken in such a place
would be complete without
a few fish posing, right?
This swarm behind Sandy seemed
to be begging to be captured
for posterity -
so, here they are!

And here many are again,
this time with my omnipresent
butterfly totebag!
A shark and a Southern Ray
are hanging out, too,
to say farewell as we
departed the Shark Tunnel.
What a fabulous five hours!
i thank You, God!

thanks, brandon

"If you were able to look back at your most brilliant successes, stunning comebacks, amazing catches, and smokin' ideas, Faustina, and you were to find that virtually all of them seemed to materialize out of thin air, when you least expected them, and that they had exceeded even your greatest expectations at the time, how excited would you be about the new year and whatever else I've got up my sleeve?
Hubba, hubba -
The Universe"

I admit, I'm pretty excited about the new year. What will it mean for my invention? What will it mean for future chemistry students? What will it mean for my lifestyle?
And what an amazingly positive message from the Universe!

I made sure that Sandy and I
began the year as we should.
Being Southerners, we are required
to eat hoppin' john and greens
on the first day of the year,
no matter where we are dining.
Our thanks to Brandon Robinson,
my Sav'h Tech boss, for the
gift card at the semester's end.
That ten dollars may not have
seemed like much to some folks,
but I was genuinely touched by his gesture - and by his kind words.
"Thanks for all of your hard work during this hectic fall semester."

Not only was I able to make the
traditional celebratory meal,
but I transformed the leftovers
into soup for our dinner!
The ham was combined with cheddar
to make grilled sandwiches, too.
Such a nice warm ending for
such a cold and blustery day!