July Comes to an End!

I'm in the yellowish blouse...

The last couple of weeks have been busy in a fun kind of way.  There has been a lot of things to do and I've tried to do as many as possible, beginning with a music evening at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation.  It featured the "talents of Argentinian musician Daniel Bellone and German performer Angelika. Together they blend traditional Sanskrit chants and mantras with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation."  It was very relaxing - the kind of music you could just close your eyes and go with....very soothing.

The following Friday, my neighbor Ana and I went out to lunch at the Sea Grass Grille.  I"d not been there before and the food turned out to be very tasty.  I had a Greek salad and asked the the dressing could be on the side.  The waitress explained that the vegetables (variety of tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onions, etc.) were marinated in a dressing and put on top of the lettuce, and capped with feta.  Well, it was scrumptious.....I may have to go back again to try to figure out what is in the marinade.

That same evening I went to a fundraiser for Bakari Sellers, a tall, handsome young man of 30 who is running for Lt. Governor of SC. For such a young man, he was certainly impressive.  The Lt. Governor deals with the care and well-being of the elderly in the state, so I bent the ear of his aide Isaac for quite a while. The event was held at Ruby Lee's, which I'd heard about for both its Lowcountry food and its good music.  So, I was happy to be able to check it out at the first time.  It was a small place with a warm atmosphere, very welcoming.  As I came in, I was given a Seller's bumper sticker.  Then I spotted the president of our democratic club and asked about a sticker for Vincent Sheheen, who is running for governor.  He had some in his car, along with mirror covers (which I really wasn't to crazy about.....but he offered them to me for free AND he put everything on my car).  So, once he pimped my ride, I felt like a moving advertisement!!  Anyway, it was a full day and I enjoyed it all.


On Saturday I had lunch with my mother and then drove to Beaufort for the Dragon Boat races.  Jan and I saw them when we went to Victoria, BC and it was fun to watch.  I'd been thinking about it for a while and really didn't make up my mind until after lunch on the day.  I got there around 2PM, had no problem with traffic and arrived in time for the last four races.  About 3PM it clouded over a bit and was very pleasant on the waterfront.  I didn't stay for awards, but the timing was perfect for me to stop for a little shopping that TJ Maxx.....another pleasant afternoon!

 
Tuesday of this week, Cheryl came for an overnight visit.  We have been very lucky to meet up for lunch whenever she visits her sister, but it was especially nice to be able to sit down and really catch up.  After resting a bit from the long drive, we went on a short tour of downtown Bluffton, which didn't take long at all.  We wound up at the Church of the Cross watching the May River flow by.  Cheryl's mother was spending time with her sister Bonnie in Camden. They were meeting up around lunchtime on Wednesday for Cheryl to pick up her mother.  Before the scheduled time, we rode out to Palmetto Bluff for a quick look around.  It was a very pleasant morning, not too hot, and that certainly added to the enjoyment.  We then all met up at Cracker Barrel for lunch.  It was a pleasure to see Cheryl's Mom again and to meet Bonnie.....and it's always great to see longtime friends!  We didn't have a lot of time, but we made the most of it.


 
Everything else is just incidental...

• I got another Groupon deal that I couldn't refuse and treated myself to a massage and facial, the first one I've had in a long. long time.  It was very relaxing and theraputic. 

• I've also treated myself to housecleaning services every other week.  That was one of those things that just hung over my head....I never felt the whole house was clean at the same time and it always worried me.......not enough to get it under control, just enough to be a constant irritant.  I've let that go and am enjoying a clean house.....and the guilt-free ability to enjoy other things!

Local Wildlife Update:
Two feral cats have broken from the larger colony and now reside at the corner where I turn to visit my mother.  There is a black cat and a yellow one.  Frequently they are joined by a friend.



We first noticed the raccoon showing up for dinner.  Then it was lunch and now we think it is both!  The funniest sight was seeing the two cats, presumably full, lying on the pine straw and between the two was the raccoon, helping himself to the leftovers.  We call him the cleanup crew!!  Animals are so great.

We have a large group of turkeys in our development, but I frequently see this one hen roaming around on her own.  Since I've been trying to get photos of the raccoon, I had my camera with me this week when I ran into her.

Finally, on a more somber topic, it's hard to believe that Allan passed away a year yesterday.  I am reminded of him so often by things that I see or hear.....it is still just hard to believe - that it happened at all and that a year has passed since.  I'm thinking of his family and hoping they are doing well.