Christmas Tree Glitch-ette

Helping decorate one of the Savanna Club clubhouses yesterday got me in the mood.

I usually wait until December to put up my tree but decided to take advantage of my open day today.  I am trying to be very self-sufficient so was proud that I got the tree into the house and set up all by myself.  

Then came that moment when you plug in the lights and hope they all work --- didn't happen.  Only the bottom half lit up.  After "messing with it" for a while, I got exasperated and called my handy-man.  He came over and it was fixed within 30 seconds!

The problem?  The tree topper plugs into one of the light sockets and I hadn't pushed it in hard enough!  

 

OK, so the tree lights are ALL on and it's ready to decorate mañana!

Thankful for My Tapestry

This is my first Thanksgiving alone for many years and it does seem strange.  (Not to worry, friends have invited me to eat with them.)

As I reflect upon my life, the words from Carole King's haunting song, Tapestry, come to mind:  

"My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue
An everlasting vision of the ever changing view
A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold
A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold."

How blessed I am to have had such an interesting life, filled with wonderful people and adventures.

I especially miss my Ed this year but my heart has been warmed as I've perused old photos.  I'm astonished at how many people in my photos are now in heaven!

In 2002, Ed and I moved to Virginia (my childhood home).  Uncle Bob May said at church,  "You all be ready on Tuesday and we'll pick you up.  The destination is a surprise."  We spent the whole day driving in West Virginia to see the fall leaves.  What a glorious day!

 

2004  We spent quite a few holidays at the home of Robert and Beth Foerster in Singers Glen. They also included Mother.  

 

When we were in Florida, we usually spent Thanksgiving with Ed's sister, Lorraine Barkett and her family.  This photo was in 2010.

 
I totally enjoyed the leisurely journey we took out West in our RV in 2009.  We had just learned that Ed had lung cancer so we really "seized the day" and savored every moment of our trip.

Yes, my tapestry is ever changing.  
 
Looking at old photos reminded me that I also had a rich life with my first husband, Alan Barrows.  

(Alan was a teacher and died from Early Alzheimer's.)

 

I learned to scuba dive while living in Puerto Rico (for 7 years).  When I moved to Ft. Lauderdale and met Alan, it worked out well that he also dived.  We were very active in the Undersea Adventurers' Dive Club.
 

 



Alan was known for his good sense of humor.  We won a prize at my faculty Halloween party in 1988.  My principal said,  "Any man with the guts to wear that costume deserves to win!"

There are so many other blessings, including my dear family and many, many supportive friends....I could go on for days.    

I continue, with God's help, to add to my rich and ever changing tapestry and I thank all who make my life worth living!   Happy Thanksgiving!

1999 One of our early Thanksgivings together.

Terrific Table Contest

The theme for the Women's Club this month was the Mini-Taste of Savanna.  Each table selects a theme, plans, decorates, and provides food for their table.

I was in a group that chose to have a Baby Shower theme.   Linda Houlihan, Linda Ricioppo, and I had fun brainstorming in the dollar store.  

 The ideas expanded when we met at my house.

 Linda Houlihan, Linda Ricioppo (AKA "The Lindas" or "My Lindas"), Mary Melincoff, and Huie Curtis get started.

We watched Mary a lot as she can make really neat bows.

Linda Houlihan created a fantastic centerpiece "cake" made with diapers.

Huie was the honored guest at our "shower" so she had the hat made of bows.  The final touch was we all went as "preggies"....or did you think those were our real tummies?

The Clown Picnic group went all out.

The ladies decorated their tables AND gave us a show!

The First Thanksgiving gals wore Indian feathers/headbands.

This was an Italian Mama table.

The Karaoke Divas

After they met, the divas agreed to make headbands using CDs on their own.  It was amazing how diverse the results were, with one as cute as the next!

 

The Mexican Fiesta table was colorful.  

 The "senorita" looked quite unlike the real Joanne.

The Southern Belle picnic was charming. 

The picnic had an anthill, complete with ants, as a centerpiece!

The "Savanna Club Hookers" were having way too much fun!

I liked the tablecloth on the America table.

Red, White, Blue America

The Parisian Bistro

Notice the plates have the Eiffel Tower on them.

(You can click on the photo for a larger version.)

Building the table....

Decked out Parisian ladies.

This table was my personal favorite.  Every detail, right down to the Perrier water, was attended to.

(There were quite a few other tables, too.)

The Mini-Taste of Savanna and Table Contest turned out to be a terrific affair.  It's good to keep our brains working and to engage in teamwork as we age!

On a more serious note, we give lots of money to charity.  Besides money, we have a request each month to bring something.  Last month it was toiletries for the Women's Shelter.  This time it was peanut butter for a food bank.  The Women's Club also runs an extensive Angel Tree program.  Our playtime does have a worthwhile purpose.

Voting - Easy for Some, Not for Others

What a day......hop on the golf cart in sunny 81º weather, go to the clubhouse to vote, run into a friend and have lunch in the cafe in that same building.  Now it's off to buy cat-food and a few groceries.  Hey, it's a rough life but somebody's gotta do it!  

All joking aside..... I'm wondering how the day will unfold.  What about the victims of Hurricane Sandy who might not get in to vote?  (They're still struggling and miserable and there's another storm coming their way.)  What about all the rescue workers from all over the US who are helping in the Northeast who might not get to vote? 

My heart goes out to all of them, as well as families in other parts of the country who are affected. Donations can be made through the Red Cross at  http://www.redcross.org/charitable-donations or at through UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief)  http://www.umcor.org/

Praying for hurricane victims on the East coast and for the elections.  This powerful thought was on a church marquee:  "America's Hope:  Not in the Donkey, nor the Elephant, but in the Lamb."  

Staid Halloween -- Senior Style

So much for staid, serious, sedate, set-in-their-ways, stuffy, and strait-laced senior citizens......

I got talked into going to the Halloween Party.  I am on the Social Committee so helped with the decorating yesterday.  That was fun -- they put out LOTS of decorations and said,  "Use everything!"  The results of spontaneous teamwork were quite festive.  

It was an evening of laughter and enjoyment.  Who would have guessed how creative a bunch of old folks could be?

 Over 200 people came and even those without costumes (like me) wore Halloween colors.

MaryMay Angelil, Suzanne Gibbs, Linda Reinhart, Jane Roy

"Sister Antoinette (Tony)" was having a blast circulating and keeping everyone entertained with his hilarious comments.

Abe Lincoln and his campaigning wife were cute.

This gal below won a prize (I forget all the categories for the prizes.) and she made her own costume.

Batman and Robin, Senior Style!

Variety, for sure!

The Beetle-juice costume was dramatic!

It's remarkable how much a wig and changing one's hair color can do to change one's identity!

My family grew up making our costumes from things we put together at home. 

These home-made versions are my favorite costumes!

Variety, for sure!

If you saw these people the next day, you'd never recognize them.

I thought the exterminator was very creative, right down to the mouse traps and mice on his belt!

Colorful, yep!

Sonny and Cher were winners.  Cher looked like Cher, for sure!

Staid Senior Citizens?  Not so much at Savanna Club!