July 4, 2021, Hilton Head Island

First light on the beach

Sunrise on the beach

There is no doubt that this was the very best family reunion ever. Now, we have said that after every reunion, but this, the celebration of our 60th wedding anniversary, really was the best.

A beautiful house with a pool on the beach in South Carolina for a two-week vacation was the ultimate luxury, and every person in our three-family group enjoyed it to the fullest.

The night we went through the eye of the storm Elsa was a scary event, but it had passed right after midnight and everybody could go back to sleep.

Coming home, there was a lot to do, so I’ll write more next week.

May your days be peaceful and happy.

Until next time,

Ronny

Our Pond

Mother Goose had spent two months sitting on eggs that did not hatch; she finally found out they were not fertilized and would never hatch, and joined her mate, catching up on eating and walking around and swimming together.  Meanwhile, out of nowhere, a mother duck had arrived in the pond, followed by five little ducklings. It was a joy to watch them grow, and anxiously watch whether all five were still there. Five became four, but then those four, closely following their mother on land and in the water, grew until the were about half the size of their mother. The blue heron visited again and swallowed, with difficulty, another frog; one of the turtles came up on land to sit in the sun in the afternoons. It was so much fun to watch that we sent a request to the assistant Manager to put a bench at the top of the pond, so Residents could sit and watch for a while. The pond is deep down, so can’t be seen from the Gazebo, nor from he street, unless you stand close to the fence.

One week later, all pond life had disappeared. No more geese (but they could have flown North), but all five ducks had disappeared as well. My thought is that one of the maintenance men hired a company to remove all fowl in the middle of the night and take them elsewhere. What a scare that must have been for those poor birds. Anyway, the ED would look into it, his assistant did also, but nobody came up with a possible answer. “One of the Residents may have done it..” Yeah right, someone in a wheelchair, assisted by someone with a walker, assisted by someone with infrared light,… no, that was not the answer. To make a long s tory short, I emailed the ED that I had found the answer. After three days of rain the water level of the pond rose to such height, that the four little ducklings could not keep their heads above water and went under, and the mother was so desperately looking for her babies under water that she ran out of breath and disappeared below the surface never to be seen again. I told him it was a fascinating topic to write a story about and to leave it at that.

We all hope we will soon have some life in our pond again to enjoy when we pass. A bench will be out of the question for now, I think.

Father’s Day

We had a lovely Father’s Day brunch at the Club, gifts and cards from all the kids and grandkids, and a brief visit from our son and wife, who came by after church. We had already been together last Sunday, when the whole family came over for lunch and to celebrate a birthday, a graduation, and an early Father’s Day. It is so special to live so close to family and to be able to visit again in person, without masks, and to feel safe.

I had to think of a song that always brings tears to my eyes when I hear it: Cat’s in the Cradle. There is an old man here in Waltonwood, whom we have known since we got here, when his wife was still alive. He is now alone, but once I saw his son visiting him. Henry is one hundred years old, he is skinny and does not shave every day, but he sits outside sometimes, reading a book. This man is extremely intelligent and had a very high class technical job; someone told me what he used to do, but that was three years ago and I forgot it. Henry has invited us and others too, to come over and have a glass of white wine with him; which we never did, because, really, we drink mostly red wine and Mike hardly drinks at all. So today, at the end of the day, I said to Mike “I would like to go to Henry’s apartment and give him a bottle of white wine from our refrigerator for father’s Day”. I went at 5 p.m., when I had to pick up our dinner anyway, and called ahead of time to make sure Henry was home. He was. He was delighted to see me and gave me a big smile and thank you for the wine. We stepped outside onto his lovely patio, which is looking out at the inner courtyard. I asked if his son had been over for a visit, for lunch perhaps? “No, he is very busy, he has his own business. And his wife is very busy too.” What kind of business it was he explained but I could not understand. “But Henry, today is Father’s Day.”
“Yes, I know. I called him at eight o’clock this morning. but he said he was busy.”
“I am so sorry to hear that. I am glad I came, and I hope I made your day.”
“You sure did, sweetheart. Would you not stay for a glass of white wine?”
“No, I have to go home with dinner. But I may take you up on your offer sometime.” A vague promise.
“Oh, please, do, and bring your husband with you.”

We should really do that. There is not much time left to receive guests if you are a hundred years old. And having guests is such a joy in the loneliness of every day.

Vacation Planning

The week is finally here! The week of planning and packing and getting ready for our two-week beach vacation. Everyone is ready for it. And even though I will have no use for my snorkel, I hope to dive into the ocean once again and swim to my heart’s content. We are being treated like royalty and only have to take care of packing our own things. Without telling us the kids got together and, knowing we would arrive late on Saturday afternoon, at the same time as hundreds of other tourists, they ordered groceries online from one of the stores, and paid, so everything will be ready for curbside pickup when we get there. Possibilities in the aftermath of Covid! So many wonderful things to look forward to! What joy!

May your days be peaceful and happy.

Until next time,

Ronny

New Bathroom scents

A new discovery: the carton tubes inside rolls of our toilet paper are now scented with a lavender/vanilla fragrance. The toilet paper itself has that fragrance too, as well as the under-the-counter cabinet, and, last but not least, the whole bathroom is pleasantly scented! What an invention! What a discovery!

New Alzheimers drug

I was very excited to read about the new Alzheimer’s drug Aducanumab or Aduhelm, approved by the FDA, visualizing a cure for many, or at least hope for many. But upon further reading of the reports, I came to realize that it is very controversial, and can have bad side effects. Sigh. There are so many people with dementia around here; Alzheimer’s is only one version of it, and so I am afraid that this disease will stay incurable for many more years.

A visit to a nursing home

On Saturday morning I picked some of the beautiful blue hydrangea that are growing on a large bush next to the cottage across the street, put them in a vase and went to visit a friend who used to live here in Waltonwood but  had moved to the nursing department of a brand new senior care home. The difference with our twelve year old building was amazing. I can only hope that the planned remodeling of our facility will bring a result we can compare with this new complex of buildings. Rumors are that the remodeling will start in August; it was all deferred since February of last year because of Covid.

Buffet stye dinners

It started with the buffet style brunch three weeks ago; because of the ongoing lack of servers and kitchen staff, two  dinners were planned buffet style after that. Very efficient for the staff, it is not pleasant for us. We have to go by the buffet, our plates are filled according to our wishes, and then we have to find a table to sit at. With a walker, even one with a seat, that is not an easy task especially several things come separate, like coleslaw, broccoli salad, rolls and dessert. Then, when we find a table, I have to get water and by the time we are seated and ready to eat, the food is cold. The buffet was planned for Saturday, Sunday and one weekday. We decided that I would pick up dinners on those days or cancel and order from a restaurant; our favorites are Thai, Mexican, Italian and pizza.

A day at the Museum

The Waltonwood bus took five other ladies and me to the North Carolina Museum of Art last Friday, to see the exhibit Art in Bloom, where many local florists had created floral arrangements based on particular paintings. It was delightful and amazing to see all their beautiful creations with fresh and dried flowers and greens from as far as Hawai’i. At the entrance was a “trail” of gerberas in various colors. I was intrigued by the special glass vases and looked for them at the gift shop – no luck. Then there was an arrangement based on a painting of “Madonna and Child”; one based on a painting with the wing of an airplane over a city in the dark with millions of lights; a knight in shining armor; one with a church window and finally an arrangement of giant anthuriums and orchids in the most beautiful, artistic wooden vases.

             

            

How wonderful to be able to go out again and see what the world has to offer! Slowly but surely, life is getting back to normal again.

It’s a wonderful Life!

Until next time,

Ronny

 

 

 

 

 

 

True Turtle Rescue

This week, in the afternoon heat, while walking the dog, I noticed a 10″ turtle crawling along the street, off the curb, on the wrong side of the pond. It had probably come from Wimbledon, through our yard, and then kept on going towards the water but it had gone a street too far. I put Lani’s leash around the top of the fence and told her to stay. Then I walked to the turtle, lifted her by the edge of her shell with both hands and walked all along the fence (which is on top of a high wall), around it and back along the inside of the fenced wall, then down the slope towards the water. When the slope became too steep to be safe for me, I carefully put the turtle down. I wish you could have seen what happened. I have never seen a turtle run. But this little one ran so fast towards the water, his rear legs stretching out behind his shell, that I looked on in amazement and laughed out loud. When it reached the rocks, I expected it to go around to the water, but it ran straight onto the rocks, its shell scratching, then dove, and swam and swam, until it was out of sight. Every afternoon it sits on the side of the pond, basking in the sun.

A raccoon shuffled across the back lawn in the afternoon heat yesterday. I watched it from the bedroom window, too far from my phone to take a picture. It went to the little pond we have there, took a drink and then dove into the water and out of sight. Wildlife at the water hole!

Rain

It rained for the past two days and nights and the water in the pond reached a level as never before. The deserted goose nest completely disappeared and I had trouble locating the ducks. I saw them later, the four little ones already half the size of their mother, and mother duck, happily foraging in the wet grass.

My old garden hose, which I have always on standby, had sprung a leak last week, and today one of the maintenance men came to take it away and dispose of it. Just before he came, a new 50 feet hose arrived from Amazon. New to me, it was light weight and very small, then expanded as it filled with water. I keep it on standby, so I can easily water the plants I have in the front porch right now.

My pride and joy is this lily, a gift in a 4″ pot on Mother’s Day 2020, which lasted through the winter in the garage without light off water. I repotted it and this is how it looks now, more and more buds opening every day. Then I have a pot with lush basil, two tomato plants that grow tall and strong, one little tomato already larger than a cherry, and ginger, which is just now showing an inch of a green sprout coming up through the soil.

Hair

I found a hairdresser close by that is so good that I will stay with her for ever. I finally found someone who knows what I am talking about when I say I want a Dorothy Hamill haircut. The first time she cut it, now six weeks ago, I was not 100% happy, but when I talked to her yesterday, she did exactly what I asked and I am excited. The most amazing thing is that she does a shampoo, cut and blow dry in less than thirty minutes. She sure knows what she is doing after thirty years of experience. The first hairdresser who gave me this cut, Jay, in Pasadena, when I was in the acting business, took two hours every time for the precision cut! He was so good and so nice, that he even came to the airport hotel in Los Angeles when I flew back from Hawai’i to finish some business on the mainland. After that, I let it grow like all the Hawaiian women, and it went well with dancing hula.

Vacation Preparations

I am getting busy with preparations for our two-week reunion at the beach and I don’t know if I will have the time to write a lot until the middle of July. Our California granddaughter will celebrate her 14th birthday when we are there, and I am planning to give her an hour of horseback riding along the beach, with me, as a birthday surprise. We are staying in a beach front home on Hilton Head Island, and the tours are on Daufuskie Island, close by, so the whole tour includes a Ferry ride to and from the island and the stables, and one hour along the beach. I am so looking forward to this wish on my bucket list. The only time I ever sat on a horse was in Tretes, a mountain village on Java, where we went on vacation once. They had the small kuda’s, the mountain horses. So this will be a very different experience!

It’s a Wonderful Life!

Until next time,

Ronny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memorial Day Weekend

The week went by faster than ever. I spent time making phone calls about wrong products being delivered, talking to the new ED, making appointments with the dentist, ophthalmologist, you name it; mostly for checkups. But then, one night, I noticed Mike’s sock was bloody and when I took it off I saw a bloody wound on the inside of his left leg. I treated it as best I could, but ten minutes later it was oozing again from underneath the bandaid. So, via the front desk, the EMS car came with flashing lights and brought bags and a gurney. I told them it was only a leg would, so they came in without the gurney, but since it was raining, I told them to bring it in anyway. To make a long story short, after one shower the next day, which I messed up with a plastic bag around the leg, I thought of Saran Wrap. And that did the trick: it covered the whole bandaid patch and kept it dry.

Via our daughter in California, whose friend is a would care specialist, I heard, after sending a picture of the wound, that I should try to roll out the skin flap with a wet cotton swab to cover the raw part as much as possible. With two wet swabs that worked! It does not cover the raw part completely, but it is better than folded over. And now we wait for it to heal, and quickly, because we are going on our long awaited family reunion at the end of the month.

Sunday Brunch and Concert

We had our first Sunday brunch again after eighteen months of Covid. The understaffed kitchen did a fantastic job and created a delicious meal. Everybody dressed in their Sunday best, well, almost everybody, and we had a good time. The annual Memorial Day Concert was performed a little differently, and without a live audience, but it was beautiful.

Because going out for dinner is getting more and more difficult, we had friends over for pizza and wine again last night. Can you imagine what “going out for dinner” entails for most people here? 1) We have to make reservations at a restaurant that serves dinner outside. 2) The weather has to be good and not too hot. 3) Each couple has to provide their own transportation. We are lucky that I still have a car and drive; but Mike’s bike fills the whole back end, so that we can’t transport anyone else. 4) the other couple has to take Uber (for a while not available because of the gas shortage) or I would have to drive twice to pick them up, because one of them has a walker. Aaaah! No way! So we invite friends from the main building over here and the evenings are wonderful. And we are invited back to others’ apartments as well. We have had Pizza dinners, Thai dinners, Mexican dinners, and an Italian dinner. Red wine goes with everything, but champagne is great with Thai, and I discovered Margarita wine at Costco via Instacart. I have not tried that yet, but when the restaurant refused to serve a Margarita-to-go (although they did the first time) I looked for and found Margarita wine.

It’s a Wonderful Life!

Until next time,

Ronny

 

A tree frog on the wall

When we lived in Hilo, Hawai’i, we thought we heard a nightingale one night – then a similar call in the far distance. Wondering whether that was true, I went to the University to ask, and there they told me it must be a tree frog or coqui, smaller than my thumb and bright green. It was the beginning of a coqui infestation all over the Big Island; the sound of thousands of coqui was deafening a year later, and nothing was able to stop their expansion. It actually became a tourist attraction. 

When we were sitting on the front porch on Sunday afternoon, and I looked up, I saw a little gray frog – white/grey, exactly like the color of the cement it was sitting on. Hours later it was still there; I googled it and found that some  gray tree frogs change their color to the background on which they are sitting, and they eat insects, which explains its proximity to the outside light fixture. My first reaction was how can I catch it without dropping it, and take it to the little pond in our back yard. Then I had second thoughts. 

I once went through quite a hassle to catch a small turtle I found crossing the trail in Wimbledon and take her all the way to the pond. I put her half way into the water, where she sat, motionless, while five turtles from the pond swam up to her, as close as one foot away, to check her out. Then I decided she was probably a pet turtle who had run away and did not belong in the pond at all. So I took her back to the trail and it quickly shuffled away in the dry leaves.

So I will keep my eye on this little tree frog and hope to see it move sometime. I would really like to hold it in my hands and look at it up close, but that would scare it, i’m sure. On Monday, it was still sitting there, in the corner of the brick wall, motionless.                        

On Tuesday morning it was gone, leaving a deposit. I was glad I did not try to move it. It got there on its own, climbed the wall, ate bugs to its heart’s content, and left its mark before leaving.

Thai dinner

On Saturday night, when the Club menu was not looking good, we invited good friends from the cottage across the street for a catered Thai dinner. We had a wonderful evening and delicious food, and the Brut Champagne we opened went with it very well.

The 84- year old champagne glasses we have were a wedding gift to the wonderful Pasadena couple who were our neighbors when we emigrated to the US. We became very good friends and threw a combined surprise 45th Wedding Anniversary party for them and my parents at our house up the hill in 1982. My parents were staying with us to celebrate their anniversary, and the party was a secret for them as well. One of our wonderful parties and fond memories.

Anyway, when Johnny passed away, and Ann went to an Assisted Living, she gave me her six champagne glasses, dating back to 1937. We still have five of them and have used them often 🙂

And this must be the end of my post because of meetings I had with Management and the sales office yesterday afternoon, walks in Wimbledon, and more.

It’s a Wonderful Life!

Until next time,

Ronny 

My Kirkus Review Ad one more time

It is a beautiful Ad, that I am very proud of. It is still being advertised in black and white in Kirkus Review Magazines until June 4.

The next promotion: my autobiography about the camps, will be published in the Moesson International on August 15, the day the Japanese surrendered and the War was over. And that will, for me, mean the start of my retirement. Really. I am planning to still write my weekly Blog Posts, but I will end all the promotion for my books, my mother’s story. I am really looking forward to spending more time with Mike and Lani, our kids and two remaining grandkids here (one is graduating and will be leaving in the Fall for college) and to read more; because that has fallen by the wayside lately, the reading that is.

Months ago, my friend Harvey Stanbrough, a very successful fiction writer, sent me the first book of his 8 part story The Ark. I made time for it and could not wait until I could read the second book. But those few hours of reading I had carved out for myself disappeared as soon as I had read the last chapter, because Life demanded attention. I am not complaining, I am just planning to retire.

Associate of the Month

Every month, each Resident here gets a sheet of paper on which they can select one Associate who has given outstanding service for that month or longer. On it we write the Associate’s special merit, sign it and turn it in to the front desk, from where it goes to Management. Last month, one Resident approached Ann and me with a stack of papers she was handing out left and right, saying, “Here, sign this and turn it in. We are choosing Sylvia this month.” Ann and I looked at her and said, “What? We both had Mary in mind to get the honor this time.”

“Well, we can select Mary next month. This month it has to be Sylvia, and she needs all our votes. Go, sign it and turn it in.” I saw a page full of hastily scrawled words. like Sylvia is very good; she works hard and more. It was dishonest and disgusting, and I did not want to sign it, but she was pushing Ann and me towards the front desk. So I signed Mike’s name and decided I would talk to Management later on.

Can you imagine my surprise and joy to read that the Associate of the Month was not Sylvia, but someone from Associated Living! Can you imagine that something like this happens in a facility like this? Manipulation of people, most of whom are too docile to refuse, me included! Once, but never again.

The new Executive Director

spoke forcefully at our first after-Covid Residents Meeting. He has great plans, and although he started out saying that Waltonwood has nothing to fix (like the other retirement homes he has worked at), he now said that he would fix everything, replace old and broken things, and more such statements. We applauded the message that he had heard that the remodeling, which was stopped before it could start in March 2020, would now start at the end of August. They will remodel the public areas, in a different color scheme, from the fourth floor down. It is going to be beautiful. This facility is twelve years old! Apartments and cottages will follow hopefully, but much later.

Cutting Costs

Gas prices suddenly went through the ceiling, and gas is even hard to get. But being taken to doctors appointments with the bus (on certain days of the week) had just been reinstated. Last Friday, walking with Lani, I asked a friend who was sitting at the front entrance if she was going out. “Well,” she said, “my husband and I had to see the doctor, but they said to take us with the bus is too expensive, so Danny is using the Cadillac. But he could not transport the two of us plus two walkers, so my husband went first, and when he comes back, Danny will take me.” Now I am asking you, what is less expensive: two rides in the bus, back and forth, with two people and walkers or four rides in the Cadillac, back and forth twice?

I was just in time last week to fill up my car, and that will last me three months or so, given the short distances I drive. It is great to be independent and be lucky!

It’s a wonderful Life!

Until next time,

Ronny

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Mother’s Day Celebration

It was absolutely a celebration all weekend long! On Friday morning this        beautiful Hawaiian woven basket arrived from Maui, full of Hawaiian flowers. A yellow and an orange Heliconia with two Ti leaves behind them and a Protea, a red ginger and a yellow ginger, which started blooming (little flowers popping out of the  tight layers), orange and yellow Protea, purple dendrobiums, ferns and greens; such a beautiful, familiar arrangement. The basket will turn brown in time: I know, because I once joined a class on the beach at Richardson’s Beach Park in weaving palm frond strips into a bowl. I made two bowls, for my Mom and sister in the Netherlands. Other people made baskets and hats. I don’t know that I can still do those things, twenty years after we left the Big Island.

On Saturday afternoon our son came by for a visit and to – again – fix problems with the TV and the computer. And early on Sunday morning, three bags were delivered on the chair by the front door, from Whole Foods, ordered by our three children. We had fresh croissants with jam and cheese, and Mango, and there was a tube with hand lotion for me.

Because dinner at the Club, a choice of lamb or ham, with red velvet cake for dessert – no doubt delicious for many residents – would not be a special treat for us, we enjoyed Papa Murphy’s Favorite Pizza with a glass of wonderful red wine, served at room temperature (instead of wine from a box super chilled :-)) I slept like a rose.

A lovely, long stemmed pink rose from Management was delivered to the door, with a nice card, and I added a green branch to make it perfect.

Geese and a duck

Poor Mother Goose. We now think that she may be the one who lost her mate in the freeway accident and laid three unfertilized eggs, which of course will not hatch. But suddenly last week, another waterfowl, perhaps a duck, splashed into the water with five darling little ducks in tow. Neighbors have watched them for a few days now, counting every time if there are still five little ones.

A Doe in the back yard!

About three years ago, when we fist lived here, we saw a couple of small deer in the Divide; where did they go? where did they come from? We never found out. Until, this week, one of the cottage neighbors spotted a large doe in his back yard, unbelievable really, between his cottage and the freeway fence. There she was! All grown up; I believe it for sure, one of the two came back. We consider ourselves blessed to be able to live surrounded by nature, even though the freeway is within hearing distance.

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It’s a Wonderful Life!

Until next time,

Ronny

 

 

 

Mother Goose is still patiently sitting on her nest.

.I have not counted the days, but the eggs should hatch soon. She is so lucky that we had the heavy rains before she built her nest. The previous two years the nests were washed away and the eggs floated on the water. It is amazing that, quite suddenly, most of the geese have disappeared. One of the new cottage residents complained to the new Maintenance Manager because she was almost attacked. When we first got here, now almost four years ago to the day, there were 24 geese, coming and going. Even though we were not attacked, the sidewalks were dirty and difficult to traverse. Lately, we have only seen three geese, one of which lost its partner in an accident on the freeway entrance next door. This nest was built quite late in the season and for quite a while birds of prey have been circling in the air high above us.

Dancing around Covid-19

Even though Covid seems a thing of the past, new cases as well as Covid deaths in North Carolina pop up in the news. But here the rules are getting less strict, we are dining with four people to a table and outside entertainment is starting to come back. One of our favorites, singer Caroline, who used to perform for us every Thursday afternoon, is planning new performances. She asked me recently how my hips and shoulders were feeling. I had a series of problems when our little dog kept pulling me so fiercely that I fell and needed PT twice for a few weeks. The last time I danced I should not have, but I did it anyway and went right back to PT again. 🙁 Today, my hips and shoulders are well again and ready to dance, and I told her so. She will invite me when she is scheduled to perform, in July or August, and I will select a nice muumuu and leis and dance again. How wonderful. Things are getting back to normal.

Visits

One of our old-time (and yes, old) friends in Assisted Living passed away, and I got permission to visit his wife. I still needed permission, even though I am a fellow resident in Independent Living, but I got it, and we had a nice visit. I left a Sympathy card in her Bible, which was lying on the couch – a surprise for later, when she would be alone again. Two days later I called and asked if she had found my surprise in her Bible. No, she had not, and she immediately started searching for my brown envelope. Nothing. Until finally she said, “Oh, Ronny, I see your card! What a nice note, thank you so much.”
“Are you sure it was not in an envelope?”
“I am sure. It’s just the card. But my children were here after the funeral.”
I was really upset that visiting children would open their mother’s mail. But what could I do in a case like this? Let it rest, and be happy that only the envelope was taken, and not the card. Should I be aware next time, not to write something improper in case my friend’s mail get censored? Is this how adult children treat their old parents when they are in Assisted Living? I think not! I hope not! Perhaps when parents are in Memory care and don’t have their wits about them anymore; yes, then the children have to take care of all of their parents’ business. But not in this case, not until then!

Our son came to visit yesterday, to our great joy, and not only did we spend quality time together, but he also fixed our TV  and our MAC computer. His oldest son is about to be honored in church as one of the graduating seniors who will leave for college in the fall. It will be the first time back to church for us, and we still have to register ahead of time. But that is the new normal, and it is all right!

It’s a Wonderful Life!

Until next time,

Ronny

 

 

The Ice Hockey Team

Our son invited me at short notice last Sunday to join him to watch our sixteen year old grandson playing a game with the ice hockey team. It was my first game ever, and an eye-opener. The speed of those boys! The twists and turns, the hits with their sticks, the small size of that puck and the sound it made when hitting the wall and the glass! Amazing. I admired the inexhaustible agility of our grandson, the tallest one on the team, and was able to get a good two minute video of the game.

Dining in 

When the Club menu was not to our liking this past week, we invited one couple from our neighboring cottages for wine and Papa Murphy’s pizza. It was wonderful to again have guests in our house, without masks, so we could eat and drink and have an interesting conversation. That was Friday night. On Saturday, we invited another couple, fairly new to Waltonwood and in a third floor apartment, to come over and share some Thai spring rolls, which were delivered to our door, part of the dinner we ordered from Thai Lotus. Meeting new people  is wonderful, and another wonderful thing is that we can now dine with four people to a table in the dining room. We did that on Monday night, and will have another “date” tonight.

A New Executive Director!

He started on Monday, but we have not met him yet. He will be introduced to the membership at dinner time, I heard, but of course not everybody is there at the same time. We hope he is the right person for the job, and he will stay for longer than a year.

Hospital trips

Just in the past week, one of our cottage neighbors fell, and had to be taken to the hospital. He was home two days later. And our friend across the street fell on Monday night and hit her head badly. It took until Tuesday afternoon before she was out of the ER and into a room. The hospital is full with people who have had accidents; it’s better than people with Covid, but still, it is a place you don’t want to be.

The Academy Award Nominations

A different experience this year, postponed from February, but interesting to watch and hear about the award winning movies and actors. Did you notice that the Oscars were not handed over by someone, but were standing on the table? Even though only a few people wore a mask, they were very careful in social distancing. I especially liked China-born Chloe Zhao, who won Best Director/Producer of the winning movie Nomadland, the first time for a person of color to win that honor and only the second time it was a woman. What an accomplishment!

Summer is coming

The early morning temperatures are still in the forties, to quickly give way to the high seventies and sunny eighties, already too warm to walk in the middle of the day. But it’s light early and long, and I’ll gladly take summer as soon as it gets here!

 

 

 

It’s a Wonderful Life,

Until next time,

Ronny