ronnie is much better, thanks

I could have gone to a movie, but I chose not to, even though it was Saturday night.
Instead, I went in search of my middle brother.
It had been almost a week since I'd last seen him.
Before I left for Disney with his twin granddaughters, I wanted to touch base with him.
I'm glad I did!
Ronnie's left eye is healing quite well and he looks so much better!
Sure, he was drunk when I located him.
He'd been hanging out with Teresa and her dog while she did laundry.
After loading her and her stuff into a taxi, I talked to Ronnie.
Did he want to go somewhere and have a soda or coffee?
How about some dessert?
I doubted that he was hungry, but how often does he get cake, right?
When he heard about the carrot cake at The Diner, that struck a chord.
Yeah, he told me, that sounded like a good idea.
And so that is where we went...
but not right away.
I wanted him to sober up a bit before we hit that spot.
We rode out to southside, so I could get gas at the cheap Parker's.
Ronnie even pumped the gas for me.
(smile)

By the time we finally arrived at the The Diner, he was quite rational.
Hallelujah!
We looked at the cakes in the cake fridge - there was even red velvet! -
but, in the end, he opted for French toast and bacon.
Dessert that doubled as breakfast food! Nice!
Then, afterwards, we went to the CVS so he could get new glasses -
and a nice, sturdy case for them - to replace the ones he'd lost.
i thank You, God, that I had this time with him today...
and that I had the ability to grant him eyeglasses.

NASA's 60th birthday

I've been looking forward to the 60th birthday for this science giant ever since May.
I had not realized that less than six months separated our ages.
At least, I was not aware of that until my lunch with Astronaut Duffy.
Ever since then, I've been awaiting October 1st.
Sure, President Eisenhower had signed it into existence on July 29, 1958, with The National Aeronautics and Space Act, so that date has some great significance, too.
However, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration did not become operational until October 1, 1958.
That's four months and three days after I became operational.
(smile)

Like me, its heart is in science.
"How" and "Why" and "What" are very important words for us scientists.
Those questions were the heart of the documentary I saw on Wednesday.
I had traveled to the "Sea Turtle" Cinemark in Bluffton for the one-night screening of "Above And Beyond: NASA's Journey To Tomorrow". The synopsis read that the new film "celebrates NASA’s many accomplishments in space and catapults viewers forward to where it’s headed" - definitely sounded 'right up my alley', as Jim Reed would say.
The film, its description read, also "examines the extraordinary ways NASA has changed not only our vision of the universe, but also our planet, and ourselves."
Somehow, I missed the gravitas present in those words.
The seriousness of the film came home as I sat in the darkness of the cinema.
I had not known of the Earth Observing System before this. The series of satellites are used to monitor the atmosphere, the oceans, and the land surfaces. These instruments have been sharing date with the world since 1997 - that's 21 years.
That data has confirmed the hole in the ozone layer, the dying of coral reefs, global warming and the melting of glacial ice - detrimental changes to Earth, all directly attributable to humanity's actions.
The three questions that drive science forward were the invisible underpinning for every one of the images on the screen.
How has humanity come so far in its blind destruction of this precious Earth, this one life-sustaining planet in all the vast, deep, emptiness of our Milky Way galaxy?
Why has humanity turned a blind eye to all the cold, hard evidence that the release of extreme amounts of carbon dioxide (by the burning of fossil fuels) at the greatly increased pace of the past few decades has done so much harm to the fragile atmosphere which protects life on Earth?
What will humanity do to save Earth?
Wow.
I was moved to action, to post on facebook my thoughts, political as they were.
I never speak of such things on that social media, but I was compelled.
That is how seriously I believe in the film's message.

*****
I drove over to Bluffton's Cinemark to see "Above And Beyond: NASA's Journey To Tomorrow". I had expected something upbeat and celebratory, for its 60th birthday. Instead, the documentary has a message from the space scientists to the world: Please stop burning fossil fuels or they won't have a planet to return to in the future.
Wow.
They're absolutely correct. All buildings should be powered by alternate means - wind, solar, hydro. Industrial complexes would be included. That would make an incredible difference and would have happened forty years ago if our government had not put the kibbosh on it.
All vehicles should burn cleanly and use minimal amounts of gas, no matter the size.
It really broke my heart to see the evidence they have seen for years, evidence which has been ignored by the lawmakers who could have made the difference for these past forty years.
Election time is rolling around folks. Vote to defend our life-giving Earth.
*****

That post has generated quite a bit of attention, with some wanting to point fingers at the politicians and lawmakers.
That's rather missing the point.
The fingers need to be pointed at all of us of voting age.
The government of the United States of America did not get to this point by itself.
Its citizens who have not exercised their voting rights have contributed to the dire state of our nation and the current condition of our Earth's existence.
I admit to being far too lackadaisical in my voting habits, but I vow to do better.
I do.

My friend Yvonne seems to be tuned in to my channel.
She wrote: "Louis and I went to the lecture at the Creative Coast given by a NASA Ambassador. It was excellent but my take away was they are already planning a Mars settlement so they must know that there's no hope for this planet.....too many climate change deniers out there and too much greed....a disastrous combination."
I have written a response to clarify for her, and for everyone else who reads my post.
"The mission to Mars has been in the works for quite some time and is still a decade away from launch. The Kennedy Space Center has an entire building devoted to raising awareness and interest in the elementary students of today as they will be the ones on those Martian journeys. Meanwhile, changes are needed NOW to make sure those astronauts will have a home planet still alive and waiting for them."

Elections are coming and every vote counts.

Earth - our oasis in space, where the air is free and breathing in easy.
Let's keep it that way.

tamed back yard!

Over the summer, my back yard has undergone quite a few changes.
Thanks to my brothers - Smitty and Tony - the grass has been kept at a manageable height.
Thanks to the next-door neighbor, the overhanging limbs from his trees no longer drape onto my roof or back deck.
And now, thanks to Georgia Power, the redbuds and wild lantana that had blocked the view of any backyard neighbors have been eradicated.
I had come home last night, after a double header southside. The films had nothing in common; in fact, I hadn't even thought I'd see one of them, as I thought I had a play, "God Of Carnage", at Armstrong. That didn't happen, though. A phone call with Smitty (about brother Ronnie) had lasted longer than expected, so I was too late - by three minutes - for the Black Box production.
That was just as well.
My first movie had been "Life Itself", a love story that had begun long before the two people ever met. How so? Well, there was a horrific trauma which united their spirits and eventually led to their physical meeting... at the location of the long-ago horrific trauma.
What a beautiful story of love!
It had left me in tears, of course.
(smile)
After such a tale, I don't think I would have liked the fierce combativeness of the play.
Instead, I enjoyed my Publix chirashi at a leisurely pace, at the Science Center annex.
(smile)
I had plenty of time to lollygag before the 8:45 screening of Marvel Comics' latest, "Venom", so I truly had taken my time with my dinner.
And the movie? How did I like it?
This Marvel movie is magnificent!!!
Not since the first "Deadpool" movie have I been so captivated by a loser!
(smile)
Come to think of it, Venom is rather a romantic movie, just as that was.
So, my double header slate did feature related films!
What a stroke of serendipity!
(smile)

Then, I had come home and had a pile of trees and bushes between the driveway and the front walk. I actually had to walk into the street and up my sidewalk to get to my porch with my groceries!
Apparently, sometime between my leaving the house at 4 PM and nightfall, the folks at Georgia Power had come to my house and totally removed the trees and brush by the power lines in my back yard.
Wow.
Here's the amazing part, though.
When I woke up this morning, about an hour ago, I was going to take a photo of the debris piled high in my front yard.
It was already gone.
All of it, as if it had been a dream.
Only the cleared back fence bears testimony that I had not dreamt it.
Wow.

Notice that the popsicle fence cannot even be seen.
The grass in the back runs right
up to the lush greenery of the row
of lantana bushes, interspersed
with the darker green of the
redbud trees.
I usually clear out the lantana each fall, after the monarch butterflies have had their fill.
The redbuds I have tried for years
to remove.

Now, not only is the reddish-brown
fence clearly visible, but so is the
upper part of my neighbor's house!
Also, the overhanging branches
from the crepe myrtle of my neighbor
to the right -
left side of the photo -
are gone from sight now,
revealing a yard that may grow
grass this coming year!

i take photos, therefore i am

This morning, I was reminded of the photography exhibit that I took in last week.
That was on the same day as the talk about Monet and Matisse.

This one truly captured me.
It's a self-portrait - that is, the precursor of the modern "selfie" -
of Ralph Steiner in 1929, when he was 30 years old.
"My hugging my camera says clearly (but differently from Descartes):
'I photograph; therefore I am'.
I would have been a mess my whole life long had I not been blessed by my ability to use my camera to speak for me." "

His advice to future photographers?
"Be intensely yourself.
Don't try to be understanding;
don't try to be a success;
don't try to do pictures for
others to look at -
just please yourself."
Those may not be the same words I had spoken to Willie when he asked what I did with my photos, but they have the same gist.
I primarily take pictures to entertain myself, not for anyone else.

Walker Evans, another American shutterbug born in the same decade, had good advice, too.
"The secret of photography is, the camera takes on the character and personality of the handler."
I must agree.
The best pictures I've taken have been when I am cheerful and serene, with that mental attitude reflected in the photos.
Also, taking a photo with love results in the subject being showered in that extra brightness.

Such thoughts were not restricted to men of this country, as shown in the advice of Manuel Alvarez Bravo.
"Shoot what you see, not what you think. A photographer's philosophy should be not to have one."
So often, I watch people miss a shot because they are trying to attain some mythical "perfect" pose.
I find I have the best photos when I "point and click" while looking at the subject, not at the viewfinder.

Consider this example.
I shot this tonight, on our "Tina Tuesday", as Kevin and I were dining at Jason's Deli.
It was our first time there, ever.
And what is noticed in the photo?
His well-shaped hand and the fine hair on his arms, the thick and nicely groomed hair, the broad and straight shoulders... and his shyness in this public place.
I captured his strength and his vulnerability justthatfast, without deliberately trying to do so... just trusting my camera to record this moment in time.
(smile)

a day for the kid in me

Today, I did the right thing: I went to the DQ, where my brother was to meet me.
No Ronnie was there, inside or out, at 2:00 PM.
I waited for twenty minutes, but still no Ronnie.
Across to the carwash I went.
Hobe had seen him earlier, but did not know where he'd gone.
As he expected to see him later that afternoon, I asked him to pass a message on.
He assured me he would.
All I wanted to do was check on his left eye.

In need of some R&R, I decided to celebrate the kid in me!
Sometimes, that's really what is needed to make 'adulting' fade to the background.
So, for this day of Indian summer, I had my own "summer kid film fest"!
"Smallfoot" was the first up to bat... and it bopped one out to left field for a solid double.
Way to go! There certainly was a lot more heft to this movie than I'd thought!

Then it was time to Dream Big, Princess...
and with real royalty, too!
"Tangled" was a sweet celebration of Princess Rapunzel, with a bit more twist to the tale and
a lot more tail to the tresses!
What fabulous use of a cast iron frying pan!
What a fabulously demented horse who thought he was part bloodhound!
What fabulously fun singing by the ruffians in the bar!
Barbara and Carolyn had decided to join me for this one - such good friends!
Surprisingly, neither had ever seen it!
I was tickled that the short, elderly guy whose dream was to be a flying Cupid kept reminding me of Ronnie.
It must have been his sweet, goofy smile!
(smile)

What a wonderfully relaxing blessing this film festival has been for me!
And when all was said and done and I was safely home again, I saw my odometer:
200220
What a fine, round, plethora of two's!
(smile)
i thank You, God!

not quite the day planned

Here's what I had originally planned for today:
1) Attend church. I had paid for the flowers for the day's service, in honor and memory of the 34th anniversary of Mama and Frank. That cost was $60, a number I have been especially appreciating this year.
2) Attend the cookout in Pooler. Even though I was no longer part of the "Born in the 50's and 50's" meetup group, Karen had personally invited me to come out and join them. I had signed up for this party before leaving meetup and I still wanted to go.
3) Watch "Tangled" at 6 PM. I missed the last "Dream Big, Princess" film from Disney and wanted to make sure I saw this one, perhaps with Carolyn. I especially wanted to make sure I maximized use of my AMC A*List membership to actually see three movies this week, a goal I've fallen short of the last few weeks.
4) Go with my movie-going g'friends for an 8 PM flick. We four have not been to the movies together for a couple of weeks. This would be a perfect end to the day!

Well, at least I did accomplish the first item.
I was even dressed nicely, wearing my peach skort and a new, paler peach, top with fancy latticework on the front.
The sermon by Reverend Billy was absolutely amazingly hot-topic. Anti-misogyny, anti-sexism, anti-ageism, anti-marketing campaigns that make people feel unworthy. He correlated the message in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" - eat this [apple] and you'll be smarter, prettier, sexier - to that in Genesis - eat this [apple] and you'll be smarter, prettier, sexier. I will definitely be listening to that one again!
Afterward, as I was trying to take the above photo, I saw a waiting message.
Who might be contacting me?
My ex? Barbara? Carolyn? My stepsister Jean? Karen the Boomer?
Sadly, no.
It was Terri of the car wash.
"Have you seen Ronnie lately? His face has been beaten up pretty badly. The swelling over his left eye is extreme. He said it was three days old. I've seen black eyes on him before but never this bad."
He had just left their place.
So, I went in search of him instead of going to Pooler.

By 12:54 PM, after driving around and checking the latest lead, I found him.
He was behind the Marathon gas station in his neck of the woods, drinking a beer.
Teresa and her dog, Link, were keeping him company, as was Randy the liar.
He was coherent and making jokes, so that told me he was not hurt as badly as he looked.

 

Still, the wound on the left side of his face looked infected... so better to get it handled.

After he finished his beer and smoke, we headed for Memorial Hospital.
He had told Terri and Hobe that he went there after it happened.
The hospital had no record of it.
Sigh.

So, I settled in to wait it out, still hopeful of a quick resolution, trying to be as positive as I could.
His left shoulder, of course, had never healed, so
they took a new X-ray of it.
They also took an X-ray of his face to check for breaks,
and did a CT scan to check for internal bleeding.
Every time we were waiting for the next orderly to take him for a test, he would complain loudly about wanting a cigarette, about leaving for a smoke.
Sigh.

Three hours later, we were back in Examination Room 3
for the results.
No breaks, no signs of brain swelling, just mild infection.
i thank You, God.
The nurse cleaned all scrapes all over his arms, hands, face, then appled bacitracin to ward off infection, to aid healing.
He signed the paperwork for his release and we left...
though we didn't drive off until after his smoke.

Nicely, he found a penny right by my car, where I had been standing.
I was retrieving the backpack I'd bought him at Sears, the underwear at Rite-Aid.
The penny reassured me: right place, right time.
My car echoed the sentiment, with the odometer clicking over to 200,200.
i thank You, God.

He had talked of wanting a pot pie from KFC, but he'd changed his mind at the counter.
The 3-piece chicken fingers instead... then didn't eat any of it.
I did convince him to eat one of the cookies, keeping me company while I ate the grilled chicken breast.
When I was finally done, we gathered our things.
He was going back over to the gas station to have a beer.
No ride, he wanted to walk... so we hugged and made plans for 2 PM tomorrow at DQ.

I went straight home.
The time was 5:17 PM when I drove off.
I felt like these bedraggled roses look:
beaten down, pieces scattered about, spent -
but still trying to add some cheer to the world.
I had thought of still going to the Disney movie,
but I never got out of the house in time.
I checked movie listings for other movies, too -
but I never went toward the door to leave.

I'm glad I was home.
My youngest brother, Tony, had told me he was cooking a Boston butt in the crockpot. Would I like to have some? Did I want some Johnny Harris sauce on it?
Yes, that would be very nice, I told him.
Just before 8 PM, my phone rang.
It was Tony, letting me know he'd pulled some meat for me and sauced it. Would I like for him to bring it or did I want to pick it up tomorrow?
I walked down the seven houses to his, enjoying the night air. I got hugs from him, hugs from Laura, too, finally home from work. I was shown their latest home-decorating projects. What a magazine-ready bedroom they have! What crisp paint lines between walls and ceiling in the front bedroom!
Then, I accepted more hugs, the generous helping of barbeque, and their love before walking back down the street to my house.
I may not quite be 'right as rain', but I'm certainly more at peace.
i thank You, God.

wedding in bluffton!

Awaiting the arrival of the bride!
That's Andy in the vest,
his stepson Connor beside him,
his son Liam making them a trio.
Very nice!

Here we go now!
(I just had to throw some Ozzy in, y'all!)
What a lovely scene!
Such a beautiful day, too!
i thank You, God!

Andy reading his vows to Sheryl...
two pages' worth!
They were quite good ones, too!
(No, I can't recall the words,
just the feeling of the moment!)

It's official, folks!
They're married!!!
Ta-dah! It's magic!
Two single people transformed
into a husband and wife!

Andy and Jeff share a rare moment together!
They're brothers-from-different-mothers and life has kept them physically apart for too long!
I'm so glad they had this time to share...
and that my ex had me share it, too!
i thank You, God!

Here's a lovely family portrait!
That's Russ holding Alice while mother Ashley looks on,
as does Wendy!
Russ is her man, Ashley is her daughter-in-law,
and Alice is her favorite granddaughter!

Time for good eats!
Liam and Ashley were busy with
the barbeque, coleslaw, and
baked beans!
Connor, Ashley's husband and Wendy's elder son, was doing his part to put away the food, too.

Well, Connor was trying to eat!
Alice had taken up his lap and Jeff had taken his ear.
(smile!)
Now, time for me to set down my flip phone and chow down!
That's some of the best, leanest, pork ever!

Jus' chillin' in the chair, y'all.
Big dance coming up!

I wasn't kidding!
Here's that first dance
as husband and wife,
to The Beatles'
"And I Love Her" -
beautiful!

Then the groom
left the dance floor and
took up his bass -
time to jam and
get others up there to dance!

They didn't have to invite me twice!
Especially as the rock-n-roll song
was "Little Sister".
That's an Elvis song and I had danced to it in Las Vegas...
and wearing this same outfit!
Woohoo!

Let them eat...
DOUGHNUTS!
Krispy Kreme for him,
Dunkin' Donut for her!
I had one of each, thanks!
So much better than cake!

Then, somehow, we all noticed
the night had crept in on
the party.
Little Alice was going to be
past her bedtime...
and early-riser Jeff was right
there with her on that note.
Goodbye to all!
So very lovely to have shared
this wedding day!
i thank You, God!

happy 34th anniversary

I well remember that day in 1984.
Mama had asked me to stand with her as she married Frank.
They had known each other ever since Mama started working at Union Camp paper mill.
That was probably in the late 1960's or so.
Everyone out there knew Frank Barry, the man who kept the money at the Credit Union.
(smile)
Honestly, I wouldn't be at all surprised if my family and his had run into each other at company events. I seem to recall gold tournaments as fundraisers and that sort of thing, once upon a time.
After Frank's wife, Zaida, died of cancer in 1983, he and Mama began spending time together. I know it began as her taking food to him, for comfort. Then their friendship became more serious and talk had turned to marriage.
She was 45 at the time and he was 62.

I was discharged from the Navy and home in Savannah again. I was 25 years old. My brothers were all grown, too, and living in their own homes, except for Tony. He was a month shy of 17 when they wed. Smitty was married, but not yet with the son he would soon have. Ronnie was wed to Melinda and they had a 1-year-old daughter, Christina.
(That makes her my 'first niece'.)
Frank's kids were also grown and living in their own homes. George and Bunny had not yet had children and Frank's youngest, Jean, was not yet married. Daughter Susan and her husband (Steve) had a 1-year-old son, Stephen.
(His birthday was just four days earlier than Christina's.)
So, there we were, at the church, for the wedding of these two grandparents.
(smile)
I was there for Mama and George DeLoach was there for his best friend, Frank.
We all went to Frank and Mama's house afterward, the small families which had doubled in size just moments before.
I wish they were both still here to enjoy all their great-grandchildren.
i thank, You, God, that they had 16 years in each others arms.

l'art de Monet est de retour

Yes, yes, I was at the Jepson...
yes, yes, I was visiting "Swarm"...
and yes, yes, for the fourth -
or maybe the fifth day in a row,
I had my legs "hangin' out"
of my peachy-keen skort!
At least I had gone to a different venue downtown!
(smile!)

I was there two hours before the talk for the new exhibit, "Monet To Matisse: Masterworks of French Impressionism".
I wanted plenty of time to explore the works beforehand.
One of my favorites was "Peasant Girl Among Tulips", mostly because I found this 1890 piece to best represent that style of painting.
Beautiful colors, too!

"The Little Maure Mountains" was another favorite today, though it was painted using just the tip of the paintbrush to leave dots of color.
Aptly, the style was dubbed pointillé by the art critics of the day.
What a tedious style to use, especially for an aging artist with rheumatism!
No wonder he died the next year.

This piece, with its broad brushstrokes and heavy paint, seemed to be the odd one out.
Titled "Pot of Anemones", the 43-year-old artist was part of a group termed "Fauves" - "wild beasts" -
by the critics, for their bold style and use of color.
This certainly got my attention!

And look!
Elvis was even at the Jepson!
No, not as part of that exhibit!
"The Official Elvis Prayer Rug" was on the second floor, with an intent to lure me to Cornelia, Georgia.
That's where the Loudermilk Boarding House & Everything Elvis Museum calls home, boasting over 30,000 items.
Road trip, anyone?
(smile!)

For now, though, a little tripping of the light fantastic would have to do!
This kind gentleman, who has been playing the accordion since he was only a lad of seven years, very nicely graced me with "La Vie En Rose".
I, in turn, graced him with a bit of twirling in my dance!
Such a good trade of talents!
I'll look forward to more at the reception!
(smile!)

First, though, is the talk next door at the TUMC by Kevin Sharp.
He's the man who curated this 30-piece collection at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, from which the Telfair has borrowed it.
How appropriate that he will discuss the Impressionism Revolution was discussed in this building that dates back to that movement's time!
As a fan of Monet, I'm going to love this... and leave off with my writing, right now.
Later!