My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. Discovering this very cool observation tower on Skidaway Island near Savannah.
2. Wildlife to observe.
3. Being able to hear. What a blessing.
4. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast!
5. Spices
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).
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.
But by far, the true Attention Grabber on the island in many of the lagoons and waterways is the omnipresent American Alligator.
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.
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. For some reason this hole in an old piece of wood at the top of a wire fence at a local farm made me smile a bit and think.
Sometimes it’s what’s NOT there that somehow wields its way to the center of attention.
2. Sticking to that line of thinking, one morning this week. I woke up, looked at our breakfast table and saw that Robert had cleaned up a bit a little flower arrangement that was moving past its prime.
It made me smile again, perhaps with a melancholic edge, appreciating the beauty that was, and in a way, still is.
That little morning moment also made me think of Frost’s oh-so-truthful poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”
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.
Note to self: Enjoy it all while I still can.
3. Accidental photographs that somehow express a surprising hint of beauty.
4. Salt and pepper.
5. Robert and Benny.
May you have Plenty to Love this weekend.
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. These incredible crab legs at the Tin Fin seafood restaurant near where we are staying for the week in Effingham County GA.
I just opted for a pound, but HR got the “All You Can Eat” Tuesday night deal.
2. Making new friends at Hunter Cattle Company near Statesboro GA.
Especially a friendly cow I named Betsy.
Here’s Betsy and HR co-starring in a little independent film I produced and directed, Good Moo Hunting.
3. Enjoying our last fire (probably) of the season at the farmhouse in southeast Georgia where we are staying this week.
4. The amazing ability to remember.
5. Sensational cinnamon rolls from Ally’s Bakery in Rincon GA.
May you roll joyfully this weekend.
Photos taken with iPhone 16 Pro.
Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday:
https://photobyjohnbo.com/2026/03/15/cellpic-sunday-the-artist/
Shhh.
We got closer, but Dee stood his ground.
We decided to chat.
Dee started: “Whose neighborhood is this through which you walk?”
He caught me off guard. “Well, the homeowners, I suppose? The neighborhood association?”
“And who are the ‘homeowners’? Who are the members of the ‘neighborhood association’?”
I saw where he was going with his questioning, but I didn’t know where to go next with answering.
So I simply said, “I’m sorry” and walked away.
Dee continued to stare, not moving an inch.
He just followed my departure with his eyes.
My Silent Sunday ended up not being so silent after all.
When I got back to Amy’s and Scott’s house, where Robert and I are dog- and housesitting for a few days, HR was still asleep, so I made my coffee and walked out onto their balcony-porch overlooking Savannah’s Moon River.
Such Sunday morning peace.
And then the dolphins, the fish, the alligators, the pelicans, the common sea gulls and the wading birds began to talk, to question.
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. Discovering, on our recent stay at Magnolia Springs State Park in Millen GA, an aquatic plant that I have never encountered before: Bladderworts.
And they are carnivorous!
“Bladderwort (Utricularia) is a genus of carnivorous plants, mostly aquatic, that use tiny, bladder-like traps to capture small prey like mosquito larvae, zooplankton, and other microorganisms, supplementing their nutrient intake in nutrient-poor waters. These free-floating plants have finely divided leaves and produce small, snapdragon-like flowers, often yellow, that rise above the water.” animalogic
2. Speaking of discoveries, yesterday on a walk here on Skidaway Island near Savannah, where Robert and I are house- and dog sitting for daughter Amy, we came upon our first alligator of the season.
Wait! Look closer.
Alligators are very common in the Savannah area, often seen sunning along the rivers, lagoons and marshes.
You simply learn early on (and teach your children) to give the gators their space. And to NEVER walk your dog along the water’s edge.
We did not venture any farther along that path!
3. Giving heartfelt thanks to Mother Nature for her incredible abundance and remarkable diversity. May we resolve to take better care of Her.
4. Robert’s Buttermilk Fried Catfish breakfast the other morning.
Oh my Goodness.
5. Making it through (early this morning) the third and final part of my lower back procedure trying to help with my crazy back pain. Radiofrequency ablation. My orthopedic guy said it will take 5 to 7 days to see if the procedure was successful.
It better be. Each of the three parts had a $395 co-pay! (Healthcare in the United States.)
Make you take Great Care of your Health this weekend.
(P.S. I’m in and out of sleep, so this blog post may not make much sense.)
Our little window sill Christmas Cactus (also appropriately known as Easter Cactus) finally decided to TALK to us!
Marveling this Monday at late winter’s sparse beauty here in South Georgia.
I truly believe that if we look for beauty, we will see it.
NealEnJoy 