singing to herself... wow!

She has, at long last, reached an age where she can entertain herself.

That age, apparently, is 4 years old.

Christina and I were at the adjacent table, settling our tabs and chatting.

I had noticed the girl had sat down apart from us after the bathroom break.

What caught my attention, though, was the fact that she was singing softly.

I couldn't make out the words, so I can't hazard a guess as to which song it was -

for me, that song would again be "Octopus' Garden", whistled, not sung -

but I'll be sure to ask her the next time she's doing it.

I wonder if she'll be like me, not even conscious at the time that she was doing that.

I wonder if, like me, she'll have to think about what tune it might be that came so naturally to her.

I wonder if it might change over time, or if, like with mine, it will be a constant in her life.

I wonder.

 

Today, Chloe was off from school to go to the doctor's office to see about a rash on her throat and shoulders and the itch that was the real problem for her.

My first niece was off from school, too, to take her to the doc in Richmond Hill.

That brought an opportunity to have lunch at Jalapenos with me!

Hooray!

Such a beautiful to sit on the patio, too!

I'd arrived a bit before them, so I'd taken a walk around the area.

Then I noticed the swirling flight of six raptors above.

I found myself watching them, their dark forms accentuated against the light gray of the clouds...

could I capture them?

See them, on the left near that bright vertical area?

Me, neither, but I know they were there.

(smile!)

 

What a lovely way to start a week!

Now, how can I fit in a soccer game this month, on top of all else going on?

Hmmm... I'll definitely have to try, now won't I?

Next Wednesday may work to let me travel to see both girls in action...

and have the luxury of staying over with nothing going on the next day... 

we'll see!

(smile!)

dear santa, i know it's early but,

Dear Santa,

 

I know exactly what I want for Christmas this year!

 

Yes, I realize this is terribly early to have already decided, but kindly remember that I haven't asked for anything in a long time.

 

And, it isn't that I'm asking for the person himself, as that would be a violation of his free will, and I certainly don't want to do that.

No sirreebob.

 

I had thought I would like just a poster, but that won't quite do.

 

Remember?

I like to be able to touch things, and a flat two-dimensional surface is going to be right.

 

I'm also a bit of a klutz, though, so, please... nothing breakable.

 

And just what image has me all agog?

 

This one.

 

That's Ram Charan, running in orange silks, tousled dark mane flowing out behind him as he runs, wielding a bow and arrow like an Indian god version of Cupid...

my, oh my, oh my!

Isn't he utterly magnificent?

 

Not that he wasn't also a good-looking fellow in mufti, especially when he and N.T. Rama Rao, Jr. (on the right), were dancing up such a storm that all the English ladies at the gala had to lift their skirts and hit the floor -

yes, oh yes, that was mighty fine!

 

And when the 38-year-old was astride a horse, as his 48-year-old friend raced alongside on a motorcycle, hair whipping about and their voices full of life -

yeah, that was quite a fabulous sight, so full of male energy that I could smell the testosterone wafting off the silver screen!

I could, I swear I could!

Fire and water they were, respectively, each a pure embodiment of those elements of life!

The release of "RRR", aka "Rise Roar Revolt", was originally slated for summer of 2020, but the pandemic greatly slowed production.

The makers had then chosen a time in 2021... but the pandemic had reared back up, making it not a good time to pack the cinemas with fans of Tollywood.

How about 2022?

Well, that had worked for a limited audience in Pooler, but not here.

But this spring, with the swirls of yellow plant sperm visibly casting about in the air, as if it was time for the celebration of Dilwale?

This spring, with the new roster of students at SCAD clamoring for arthouse cinema?

Yes, yes, this would do very well for this paean to the heroes that helped India break free of British rule so long ago!

And where better than at the Trustees Theatre on Broughton Street?

Most fabulous!

I applaud that the friendship between Alluri Sitarama Raju and Khomaram Bheem was from the imagination of the two scriptwriters, and not factual. (The two men had been contemporaries briefly in the 1920's, though Raju died in 1924, more than a decade before Bheem was killed. Both died young.)

Imagination plus facts: that's how legends are created, and this was all about the many heroes of India's history.

The students knew it, too, standing and cheering as each legend was shown on the screen during the closing credits!

Their energy was contagious, prompting me to stand and dance along with them!!!

Wow!!!

 

Good thing Barbara was so determined to have Indian fare afterward.

Sitting at Naan On Broughton allowed me to sit and chill in its cool air.

That respite from the action on the screen, and the contained heat of the Channa Masala, combined to quell the fire within me to glowing embers...

at least until I was home again, and found the above images to stoke it back up.

My, oh my, oh my!

So, my dear Santa, may I please have tangible versions of the men of Fire and Water?

 

And, if I can only have the one and not both...

than please let that one be  Ram Charan in the orange silks, with the bow and quiver (sigh!) of arrows for the win! 

I promise to be good, I do.

with hopes and kisses,

as always

thank you, mrs. ansley

Those are the very words with which I began the description of my new cover photo.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ansley, for planting these gorgeous azaleas so many decades ago, for me to enjoy today!"

That family had bought the house back in the mid-1950's, when the neighborhood was brand-new.

Today, I have azalea bushes with four different colors - fuchsia, pink, coral, and white - of blooms all across the front yard.

This huge bunch of blossoms is right outside the dining room window, keeping me company and brightening my day on those mornings when I eat in there instead of in the sun room.

I can watch the rotund bumblebees flit from flower to flower, with an occasional wasp buzzing between them.

A female cardinal is again considering building her nest within those branches, so I am treated to her hopping amongst the slight limbs as she searches for the right spot.

Such a lovely way to start a day...

so, again, thank you, Mrs. Ansley, for this gift that continues to bless others.

(smile!)

mona lisa - no, not that one

What do you get when you mix a very young Korean child with a new country that's foreign and where she cannot communicate with anyone?

You get a person who ends up spending twelve years in a sanatorium after several years in a foster care system that failed her.

Ironically, she had been brought to the States for political asylum, to shelter her from a homeland where she was in danger.

That didn't quite help her, did it?

Now, she's 22 years old and practically illiterate and uncommunicative because of so much time in a straitjacket and in isolation.

People regard her as dangerous, even though she barely talks.

That's because she has mastered one cool trick: if she can catch someone's gaze, she can take control of their mind and make them do whatever is needed to set her free.

Nice defensive mechanism, right?

Now Mona Lisa is on the lam in New Orleans, in late September or early October, a time which is certainly best for such things, in regards to the weather.

That's good, as she only has on that straitjacket, at least until a group of young folks getting high give her a pair of sneakers and, a bit later, a "sometimes" drug dealer named Fuzz gives her his T-shirt.

Those are folks on the fringes of society, like her.

She only has problems with authority figures, like the cop that makes it his personal mission to return her to the asylum, especially after she gets him to shoot his leg when he tries to forcibly handcuff her, just for wearing a straitjacket.

Silly sap, he should have known after that first encounter with her that he needed to leave her alone, but he persists.

Good thing that the pole dancer leads her to a helpful, if slightly bent, 11-year-old boy.

"Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon" is one of the best movies I've seen with Cinema Savannah.

Thanks, Tomasz, for bringing this 2021 here for us!

And thanks, Cameron Frost, for the raku firing demonstration afterward!

I'm so glad he was wearing all the right safety gear for such work, too.

He made sure folks knew I had been his chemistry teacher, once upon a time.

(smile!)

He had been a rare art major who wanted to take chemistry for the sake of knowing more about the world around him.

I can't say I remember his grades - but I will say that I always enjoyed talking with him!

I look forward to doing more of that, as he is the ceramics instructor there at the Savannah Cultural Arts Center.

That means he knows Tomasz' movie schedule and knows to look for me there.

(smile!)

Here is the finished sculpture, after a few hours of cooling.

He calls it "ossified amalgamation of hands".

I preferred my take on it: a faded tattoo of maps for favorite places.

(smile!)

I'm glad dos de mi tres amigas were there to witness that event, too.

Barbara and Sandy had never been to a raku firing, either, so it started a nice discussion about ceramics in general and our personal experiences with it.

Maybe I'll have to look into having Cameron teach me for a change!

(smile!)

coming in like a lion - RAWRRR!!!

No, I'm not referring to the weather!

It's been positively balmy and so pleasantly warm that I might think I was in Panama again.

The weather has been utterly delightful.

The cultural schedule, on the other hand, has gone stark raving mad!

Yesterday, I found out that the Savannah Jewish Cultural Arts Festival has started - as of February 25th, in fact - and spent some time trying to figure out how to fit its ten remaining movies and four days of film shorts into my life.

You see, I already have a full weekend, with Cinema Savannah on Friday, a play at SavChTh with mi amigas and dinner after, and a rare Bollywood at the Trustees on Sunday.

Also this month I'll have my first live Banana Ball with Scott by my side...

and three medical appointments...

and at least two events to usher at the Savannah Music Festival...

and Savannah Repertory Theatre's first play of the year...

and Christina's bday40...

and who knows what I'm overlooking right now...

for real!

Busy, vibrant, woman... I guess I better shift into high gear!

I'm just a bit out of practice, right?

Between three years of pandemic and the A-fib last year?

Mentally, physically, I'm just out of practice with juggling so much stuff in person.

Hey, one breath at a time, one day at a time, one event at a time...

I got this.

Starting with a table full of New Yorkers and a plate full of falafel at noon30 today.

And just where was I?

At the Savannah JEA, starting with the "Food For Thought" luncheon -

it remains the best meal in town for only $7.

Four balls of falafel, two pitas, plenty of tzatziki sauce and "Israeli salad" -

think pico de gallo with no heat -

and lots of conversation about Brooklyn and the Bronx and Broadway!

Very nice!

Then came the movie, "Israel Swings For The Gold"... and it was all baseball, baby!!!

What a grand opener for my SJCAF!!!

Compiled from the handheld video cameras the ballplayers were given upon arrival at their quarters at the 2020/2021 Olympic Summer Games, it was a lot of boys being boys... and I do love that silly stuff!

They were new to the world of the Olympics...

they were new to the game of baseball...

and many were even new to being Israeli citizens.

So, add it all up and there's a bunch of missteps along the way, but also a lot of heart.

I guess I missed the fact that they were novices when I heard Israel was one of the six countries that would play baseball on that world stage.

Honestly, I couldn't say I would have seen their games on US television, except for their second game, when they played against this country and lost badly.

But I would have missed their first game, versus South Korea.

That's when their starting pitcher blew out his arm in the first inning.

Not good, especially as they didn't have another starter.

Still, they gave it a good try, actually making it past the first elimination round.

What a good movie!

(smile!)

Now, I hear the back yard calling for its turn beneath the Ryobi...

here I come, weeds!

(smile!)

no cooking for me on wednesdays this month!

The Wednesday Night Suppers have returned!

Hallelujah!!!

It feels like forever since they've been gone, honestly.

Nope, just four months, or so.

Tonight started off with beef stew over white rice, with Italian green beans, plus a make-your-own salad.

Oh... and these delectable, scrumptious, corn muffins!

I told Pam and Walt that I was saving mine for breakfast tomorrow.

That's what I meant to do, too.

But, at dinner's end, there were leftovers.

I came home with four, not just one, so no need to ration it out.

These got peanut butter smeared on them for dessert, just as my stepdad... or Elvis!... would have done.

Magnificent treat after my walk on the Planet's treadmill!

(smile!)

First, though, I went to the Taizé service.

It's fairly brief, meant to promote unity and peace, through meditative contemplation and the use of chant-like phrases and song.

Asbury Memorial Church started having these during the pandemic, as I recall, but their origin is with a monk in France.

Pam and Walt were going, so I did, to check it out for myself.

I must say, it really was calming to sit in the candlelit sanctuary, as the sky darkened from dusk to night.

Will I go next week?

Maybe, maybe not.

I can always find it on the youTube channel.

(smile!)

So, have I mentioned the all-new movies of my A*List?

I haven't???

Well, let's start with the one which was celebrating its 25th anniversary, shall we?

Hey, I said "all-new movies of my A*List", did I not?

That is to say, I had not yet viewed them at an AMC Cinema, now, doesn't it, chickie?

(smile!)

Pam is a Brit, and, as Walt says, her way of speaking does leave a residue.

(smile!)

Ahem, back to the 1997 movie, "Titanic", that caused such a stir when it first came out.

As it is, it's been playing locally for at least three weeks...

ever since the day Christina and I grabbed us some Magic Mike, in fact...

and had been her first choice for movie, but the times were wrong.

I had resisted seeing it, but, having seen the etched glass windows from the ship's ballroom - while on a visit to the Mariners' Museum in Yorktown back some ten years ago or so, I felt compelled to try to find footage with them in the film.

Sure enough, I finally did espy those elegant panes!

That was a highlight for me.

I loved the esprit de corps of the band, too, playing on as chaos erupted around them.

As for the "love story" between the delusional 17-year-old girl (played by a 22-yo Kate Winslet) and the slightly jaded twenty-something ex-patriate returning to the States (played to age by Leonardo DiCaprio), I recognize lust and rebellion when I see it.

The science was most excellent, though!

(smile!)

The other two movies were new to the silver screen, and were, like that first one, of the one-and-done variety for me.

Sure, I'll watch most anything once - ONCE! - but the true tell is if I go a second time.

Once is plenty for "Marcel The Shell With Shoes On" and "Cocaine Bear".

Yeah, I know, I know -

the titles are ludicrous, right?

Surprisingly, the one that was claymation and aimed at kids was pretty serious, dealing with death of a loved one and isolation from a middle-school point of view.

And the one that was meant to be scary felt just like a 1970's made-for-TV, animal gone wild, flick from my youth, with sections that were unintentionally hilarious.

Hey, at least it had Ray Liotta, no doubt in a role he relished as a drug kingpin, wearing the clothes and bling from the mid-1980's time frame.

I'm glad he had some fun "reliving his youth" in that last-ever role for him.

(smile)

something bollywood, to end the month

I wish I knew someone who worked at the DMV, 'cause I sure would love to recommend this one to them!

For one thing, they'd get to see how that driver's license process is handled in India.

For another, they'd get to see one of their (foreign) colleagues doing the testing.

And, for a third thing, they'd bet to watch folks cheering on said colleague for going after someone famous for promoting safe driving while not even having a license to drive.

Nice!

Here's the thing, though: Om -

the one on the left conducting the oral driver's test -

had already made the license for Vijay - 

he's the one on the right, tasked with getting at least six correct answers on the ten-question multiple-choice test in order to obtain a learner's permit - 

several days earlier.

He had even wrapped it up as a gift, with his 10-year-old son there to participate in the proud moment, and he was to get a selfie with the actor as his reward.

Instead, the actor pitched a hissy fit in front of the boy. accusing the father of calling in the media for what was meant to be a quiet event.

Vijay had not even asked Om to explain, and Om, star-struck mega-fan that he was, could not even get a word out in defense.

But Om did get his feelings hurt.

So, in front of said media, he had Vijay get out of the driver's seat of his SUV, telling all that it was because the star had no driver's license.

That certainly got folks talking!!!

The star who promoted safe driving and using a seat belt didn't even have a license?!

And the battle began, between the man who worshiped the actor as a god and the actor who viewed the man as a fan that had gone crazy for fame.

"Selfiee" was quite a wonderful movie!

I was not familiar with Emraan Hashmi, who played Om; he'll be 44 next month.

However, I knew the "movie star" and did enjoy seeing Akshay Kumar again (the last time was in "Good Newzz", which also had in vitro fertilization as a topic).

Before the movie started, the 55-year-old appeared onscreen to thank the fans for coming to see the movie and to assure them that he is grateful to them for their support.

It was quite moving, much like Tom Cruise's onscreen appearance had been before "Top Gun: Maverick" began.

Both had brought a tear to my eyes (yes, over-productive tear ducts).

(smile!)

I was glad I'd decided to take the chance to go out to the Royal in Pooler today.

I had missed the one that played there last week, as the only screenings were past 6 PM.

That would mean very heavy traffic to get there, then darkness on the way home.

Nope.

Today, though, the cinema had a 3:05 show!!!

That should work!

And it did, as it was between the lunch and shift-change rushes for the drive there.

Hooray!

I even got out while it was still daylight, beating sunset back to Savannah!

Whew!

I sure hope they'll have matinee shows in the future!

However, I was the only one there... so, they may not.

Fingers crossed!

I need more song and dance in my life!

(smile!)

coś polskiego, i presume

"Why is that?"

Why is what?

"Why is it that you presume something?"

Well, the location was on Livingston Avenue, so...

"So you felt the need to bring the good doctor into this."

Naturally. I was on an adventure and so was he.

"Naturally."

I was out there exploring an event listed on fb.

"Does that really say it's a church fair??"

It does, even though there was nary a church in sight.

"Then what's that building in the first shot?"

Well, believe it or not, that's a restaurant. Once upon a time - or so I heard from folks there - it used to be a rowdy, seedy, dive called The Wyld Dock Bar. The story goes that six years ago it became a swanky foodie place on the marsh there and they dropped the "dock bar" from the name.

"Have you been there before? Like, back in the day?"

Nope, this was my first time on that gravel road. I had no idea anything was back in this area of LaRoche except houses. Quite a smorgasboard of those, too, ranging from new McMansions at the start of the avenue to little homes that needed some attention as the pavement ended and the gravel began.

"That hardly sounds like your kind of drive."

Hey, I was there for the pierogi! It's been years since I had it fresh - not that Mrs. T's isn't good, 'cause it sure is - but Under The Eagle and The Two Sisters have been a long time ago.

"Those places both required cash, didn't they?"

Oh, you betcha! Don't bring your plastic or you'll be washing dishes! I had expected this group to require cash, but they took cards, too. The only thing they didn't have was to-go boxes.

"That's a surprise!"

I thought so, too. But it actually worked out for the best. I only ordered the one dinner, instead of the two I'd planned to get. And I ate that dinner on a real plate, with real silverware, sitting on the dock and overlooking the marsh of Country Club Creek.

"That sounds very nice, actually."

It truly was! it was another lovely day, with temps in the low 80's and a nice little breeze to ruffle the salt air. I hadn't planned to eat there... but I sure am glad that it turned out I had to! I couldn't very well make off with their china, could I?

"Yeah, it's nice how that worked out."

Plus, there was a fellow playing what sounded like Irish music on his accordion, and doing it quite well! So, I had a very nice meal of kielbasa, pierogi sauteed in butter, and haluska, with music as a backdrop and the lovely view of the marsh before me - very nice, indeed. And when I was done, I simply left. As I walked back toward my car, past the long line of folks awaiting their turn to order, I assured them the food was worth it.

"Well, that was nice of you."

I also breathed a prayer of gratitude that I'm retired. That meant I was here by 4:45 pm. The event was to begin at 5 PM, but it ran about twenty minutes late. I was the sixth one in line and I didn't get to order until another twenty minutes after that. There was one guy cooking pierogi and one woman serving, so the line had to be held up every few people to either await more potato-stuffed pasta or for the server to catch up with the orders.

"Sounds like they hadn't planned on having more than a few people show up."

I would say there were about fifty there, maybe sixty... and most of them were in line. Seriously. Some were still standing there from the time I got my food and ate it. Plus, there were a lot of others who'd no doubt arrived after work. The line went halfway out into the gravel parking lot, and the cars were lining both sides of Livingston all the way to LaRoche. I'm glad I was able to leave while I still had daylight to see what was where!

"That does sounds like a bit of adventure was had, though."

For sure... and less than five minutes from home. Amazing!

ready... set... lunch!

As Otto would say, "What was that middle part?"

LOL! Such a lovely, funny part in "A Fish Called Wanda"!!! 

"Set", as used here, means my attendance at the morning session of the Savannah Music Festival Volunteer Orientation.

That's where we all got to meet Therra, the head volunteer wrangler, a petite bundle of energy, and her assistant, Paige, among others.

This year's Volunteer Handbook is quite a hefty and useful tool, full of information about all the venues, as well as the rules.

Mostly, we need to smile and be helpful - I can do that!!!

(smile!)

"Ready" refers to the selection of the shows I wanted.

I already talked of two of them; this is another one at the Charles Morris Center, which I enjoy as it's small. This Saturday matinee of Trinidad & Tobago jazz with Cuban dance jazz promises to set my toes tappin'!

Speaking of dance bands, I signed on for the Galactic/Cory Wong/Nate Smith show, too.

It'll be held at the grassy lawn of Trustees Garden, so that will be new to me.

And what would be the last of the five chosen?

Something with a bit of class, naturally!

I opted for the first of the Philip Dukes chamber music series, to be held at the Trinity UMC, on a Sunday afternoon.

(smile!)

Now, it's time for "Lunch"!!!

Josie was in town for her last eye appointment, and that finished up right after the orientation at the Trustees Theatre - sweet!

We met up at Carey the H on Waters - hey, inside joke with the bfe! - which just happened to be the first Carey Hilliard's that Jo had been to as a girl - nice!

We talked about those memories, about me and how my A-Fib was doing, about her having an empty room for guests now...

hint, hint...

(smile!)

We talked about her Bird Buddy, too.

She had given one to me at our last luncheon, last month.

I had to tell her about the missing instructions and missing setup image... and me not having a tree to put it on.

I also told her I'm going to give it to one of my brothers, as they both like to feed the birds and watch them... and have trees.

I'm to make sure they let her know how their avian friends enjoy it - I can do that!