1. Sweet Tea, or as Dolly Parton calls it in SteelMagnolias, “the Champagne of the South.”
2. Walking by this “wall of green” covering a building near us here in historic district Savannah.
If you look closely, you can spot HR meandering in the lane.
3. Toenail clippers.
4. The absolute, joyful contentment that kitty cat Benny finds in (literally in) cardboard boxes.
5. Grandson, Daniel and his “Senior Bike Ride” this morning at his school.
On the last day of school (for seniors), Country Day has this tradition for their soon-to-be graduates to ride bicycles onto campus, where they are over-enthusiastically greeted by their families and loved ones, holding up posters and pictures and joyfully cheering (probably because those soon-to-be graduates will also soon be leaving home).
May you have something this weekend to scream joyfully about. (If not, just scream anyway.)
Marveling this morning at my grandson Daniel‘s convincing performance as a REALLY messed-up teenager in his latest play, this time at the Tybee Arts Association Black Box Theater on Tybee Island near Savannah.
The play: Marvin’s Room.
Daniel’s character: Seventeen year-old Hank. (D is also seventeen.)
Here’s what Google’s AI says about Hank:
Whew!
Hank, onstage, with his psychiatrist on the right and his emotionally distant mother on the left:
As a grandfather, it was actually (and probably foolishly) somewhat difficult to see the normally exuberantly positive and usually smiling Daniel portraying such a severely damaged young man. (Hank doesn’t smile very much in the play.)
For a moment, I forgot what actors actually do. Act.
Daniel’s now been in over thirty plays, and his specialty seems to be the romantic lead in musical theatre (Prince Topher in Cinderella, Marius in Les Mis), Raoul in Phantom of the Opera.)
Sitting in the audience for Marvin’s Room, I kept having a bit of conflict between watching that mentally challenged CHARACTER I just met and denying to myself that the young ACTOR I knew so well could have ANY of Hank’s negative qualities.
But, uh oh. Maybe we haven’t burned down a house, but haven’t we all pushed a button or two to provoke a reaction from someone else?
Haven’t we all occasionally struggled to express our emotions openly?
Haven’t we all used sarcasm?
And haven’t we all felt (or acted) a little … crazy from time to time?!
The play ends (thankfully) on a positive note with Hank seemingly on his way to a better life.
And here’s Hank — I mean Daniel (!) — smiling his usual smile with HR and me after the performance.
Chatting and joking about his crazy character, we asked Daniel what he was going to be doing after this play ran its course.
“Oh, I’ll probably burn down my high school.”
Daniel, second from the right, chatting with some of his high school buddies who came to support him at the play’s second performance.
1. The amazingly resilient beauty of Savannah’s Resurrection Fern.
The green plant growing on the live oak tree behind me, Pleopeltis polypodioides, commonly known as Resurrection Fern, is “a native plant known for its ability to survive extreme dehydration and revive when exposed to water. Appearance and behavior: During dry periods, the fern shrivels and turns brown, resembling a dead clump of leaves. It can lose up to 97% of its water content, while most plants can only tolerate a 10% loss.”
“When it rains, the fern uncurls and turns green within hours.” National Wildlife Federation
(I need a little of what it has!)
2. Recognizing that two out of three isn’t bad.
High School Basketballer Grandson Gabriel practicing three-pointers
3. Going on a fascinating Savannah Port Tour this week.
Savannah has one of the busiest ports in the nation. We live a few blocks from the Savannah River, walk along it often but have never toured the port.
Fascinating!
Here we are with our nee bestie tour buddies. Captain Birdie’s flowing hair.
There’s also a massive yacht repair facility …
The white structure to the right is actually a large yacht which had been “shrink wrapped” for some kind of moisture-control work.
What a fun couple of hours.
4. The joy of simple, delicious food.
I love being able to pull my grandmother’s large cast iron skillet off our cool, little rack …
… and toss in a couple of seasoned chicken thighs, along with whatever vegetables are on hand (cherry tomatoes, carrots and onions this time).
Yum!
5. The truth of this little placard outside a business on a recent morning walk here in Savannah.
Whatever your definition of “good” may be, may you have it this day … and this weekend.
1. Taking a photo of a glorious ginkgo biloba tree.
2. HR in a somewhat … regal moment.
Gainesville GA Botanical Garden
3. Always having enough food to eat.
4. Grandson Daniel on a weekend trip to New York, accompanying his Catholic girlfriend Amelie to mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and out of the blue being asked to help take up the offering!
Here’s what his mother texted me:
5. A quiet moment with Benny.
May you have some quiet moments of joy this weekend.
To be honest, after Tuesday’s foreboding election results, I have had sad difficulty finding happiness. Until I realized, once again, that true happiness is in the small things of life.
1. Colorful fall chrysanthemums.
Herb Creek Landscaping, Savannah
2. The belief that, no matter how dark it gets, there are sources of light.
3. Grandson Daniel winning Best Actor (for two years in a row now!) for his portrayal of Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love at the high school regional one-act play competition in Vidalia, GA (yes, the Vidalia of onion fame).
D now towers over both Robert and me
4. Riding the Amtrak train yesterday from Savannah over to Charleston, South Carolina for a wonderful day trip with Robert and ex-wife Donna.
Incredible lunch at Magnolia’s, one of our favorite fancy spancy Charleston restaurantsDonna and HR, relaxing in the Charleston Place Hotel lobby, pretending to be guests, as a harpist serenades them.I wonder if it’s too late for me to learn to play the harp. 
5. My 24Kt gold-rimmed cocktail at the Charleston Place Thoroughbred Club after the harpist rudely took a break. (We had claimed squatter’s rights at the hotel by that time.)
What do you mean, you don’t believe me?!
May you find a spot of gold somewhere in your weekend ahead.
NealEnJoy 