This week Robert and I are getting away from downtown Savannah for a bit and staying at our buddy Gordon’s old country farmhouse in Effingham County GA.
When I texted my family to let them know we would be gone for a few days, daughter Amy almost immediately sent back this photo:
I asked her how on earth she did that.
“Put the photo y’all sent from Easter into Chat and said make them into farmers. 😂”
Technology!
HR and I live in Savannah, home of one of the country’s largest (and rowdiest) St. Patrick’s Day Parades. We live directly on the parade route, which sounds terrific, and I suppose it was for the first couple of years.
But the parade (and even the days before) soon became somewhat of a headache, at least for us. Very party-oriented folks heavy drinking, property destroying.
So anyway, Robert and I get out of Dodge for a few days.
This year, we escaped to Magnolia Springs State Park and one of their cottages, a couple of hours north of us.
We didn’t have a parade, but we did have peace.
And color.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day … Night 2026.
For the last few years, Robert and I have taken part in a wonderful program here in our home state of Georgia: Farm Passport.
Over 100 farms are involved, and Passport participants travel to as many as they like: “Passport travelers will discover where their food comes from, meet the people who grow it and see firsthand how diverse agriculture is across the state! With each visit, travelers can get stamps in their passports, and they can earn prizes. The love of exploring Georgia, supporting local farms and eating fresh is lived out when traveling with this passport.” Gfb.ag
Today we visited our first farm for 2026 (the program just started for the year): Franklin’s Farm in Statesboro GA. This farm is primarily known for their wonderful satsuma mandarins.
I love their Georgia fruits and vegetables T-shirt.
Marveling this morning at … a refrigerator!
A very cool and quirky frig in our favorite Airbnb in Macon GA over the weekend.
Benny and I just finished Only Murders in the Abbey, the REALLY funny and oh-so-creative spoof of English murder mysteries.
At Scotland’s Loch Down Abbey (which of course has been locked down), a guest is murdered in a locked library during a ball, and the resourceful housekeeper, Mrs. MacBain, must uncover the killer among the guests.
And she does! But not before giving the reader many an out-loud laugh and agonizingly fun brain twist.
I don’t know about you, but every now and then, I simply need an escape read, a book that makes no claim to literary excellence. Just pure reading fun.
When I finished the novel (which I had found in one of the many Free Little Libraries around Savannah), I realized it is actually the sequel to Loch Down Abbey, which I of course must now read.
I’ve mentioned these t-shirts before, but I’ve almost worn mine out, so I thought I’d keep it alive a bit longer with some remembrance.
When my first grandson Daniel arrived some nineteen years ago now …
… I didn’t want to be called “Grandpa” (so OLD sounding!), “Papaw” (that was my father), etc., etc. My son-in-law (Cuban) solved the dilemma for me: “Let your grandkids call you ‘Abu”. Most folks won’t know what it means.”
Abuelo is the affectionate Spanish nickname for Grandpa.
When he was older and talking, Daniel decided that Robert should have a nickname as well, thus Rbu!
A blog category about finding “art” in unexpected places and situations
Leaving my yearly urological check-up recently (TMI?), I sat down by their little fountain pool (which was not working) …
I attempted to meditate a bit while waiting on an Uber.
But then I heard them and saw them …
Young white men dallying and splashing around in the cold February pool.
A blog category about finding “art” in unexpected places and situations
So recently Robert and I were enjoying our breakfast at the Huddle House over in Springfield GA. I chose the more-than-I-could-ever-eat Two Eggs and Country Ham Plate (Platter!) …
After about thirty minutes of diligently working on my feast, I got a tad bored and began playing with my food (I started that habit as a wee one decades and decades ago).
He emerged from the Huge Ham so I named him Hugh.
But WHAT is he? Some kind of little OtherCreature looking down at his stolen jewel?
And looky here, a little while later I saw Mama, pensively perched on her nest.
Who knew breakfast could be so, so FULL-FILLING-ly Creative?
Take a quick look at this three-second video of Grandson Gabriel (#2 in white and green) in his high school basketball game the other night in Savannah. He attempts to block the rival player from scoring and falls flat on his back!
You may have to watch it a couple of times since the video is so short and G is so small.
Ouch!
G’s (painful looking) end-of-game block was called a charge on the opposing Savannah Christian kid and was a big part of Country Day’s win because the basket didn’t count, stopping them from coming back.
And here are the players’ reactions to the win against perhaps their biggest “enemy.”
Youth, energy and excitement!
May we all win at something today!
NealEnJoy 