This summer, June – August, I will be taking a writing course, “Memoir—Summer 2026—Write Your Own Story” with acclaimed author Janisse Ray (Ecology of a Cracker Childhood).
In order to devote as much time as possible to the class, I’m going to scale back my blog posting for the summer. I will continue to publish my “Five Friday Happy Bringers” each week, along with probably one other post toward the beginning of the week.
Thanks so much for following my blog! I’ll keep you posted occasionally about the memoir class.
The magnificent Southern Magnolia is in her full blooming glory this spring here in Savannah.
For a couple of weeks now, as we drove or walked by one, I would say to Robert, “We should get a few blossoms for a little arrangement.”
But the ivory white beauties always seemed to be above my humble reach.
Until one day as I was driving us home, HR semi-yelled, “Neal! Pull over!”
A couple of small magnolias with a few blossoms I could possibly get!
I plucked several and brought them home.
And how beautiful and aromatic they were …
… for the first couple of days.
But Day Three told another, darker story …
What?! Why?!
Staring forlornly at my Brown Bouquet, I immediately thought of Robert Frost:
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
*********************
Thanks for the encouragement, Frost!
But I know he is right, and I know that I really did enjoy them for a couple of days.
But why did they and I “sink to grief” so quickly?
Google AI told me:
“Magnolia petals are highly sensitive to bruising, temperature changes, and handling. When picked and placed in a vase, the oils on human skin will quickly turn the delicate white petals brown. Additionally, the exposed, pollen-heavy blooms are prone to rapid shock, wilting, and bruising from air exposure.”
Oh no! Why didn’t I Google earlier? And what could I have done differently?
AI answered:
“To make your blooms last for up to a week, follow these quick-handling tricks:
Wear gloves: Handle the stems and petals using floral gloves or a clean cloth so the natural oils on your hands don’t transfer and cause bruising.
Strip the foliage: Remove most of the leaves along the stem, as they steal moisture away from the flower. Leave only the 4-5 leaves closest to the bloom.
Dump the pollen: Turn fully open blooms upside down and gently shake them to remove excess pollen, which otherwise speeds up decay.”
Robert and I spent last week house- and dog-sitting for daughter Amy at their place on Savannah’s Skidaway Island.
Perhaps the Greatest Joy of visiting Skidaway (other than grandchildren, of course) is the wide variety of wildlife that abounds at nearly every turn.
White-tailed deer run around as if they own the island (which of course, they actually do, or used to).
On a walk, sharing the early morning
Raccoons, marsh rabbits, gray foxes, and opossums are common.
Dolphins and river otters.
A variety of native turtles, frogs, and non-venomous snakes are also present.
Coastal and I saying hello to a sandy turtle.Black racer slinking across the back yard
But by far, the true Attention Grabber on the island in many of the lagoons and waterways is the omnipresent American Alligator.
You can’t see him well, but he’s there.
Robert and I saw four others (!) in this same pond on this day.
You simply learn to give alligators their space.
They are not inherently aggressive, naturally fearing humans and usually prefer to retreat or swim away when approached. The problem comes when humans illegally feed alligators. They learn to associate people with food and may aggressively approach them.
“We will be well to the extent that we all are well. We will be truly strong to the extent that we faithfully protect one another’s well-being, not simply the well-being of our people, our community, or our species.”
NealEnJoy 