Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 1/23/26

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. Robert MORE than enjoying his all-you-can-eat crab legs dinner at Tin Fin, a little seafood restaurant we discovered near where we are staying for a few weeks while our Savannah place is being renovated.

2. This old mailbox at our temporary country farmhouse.

See? Old can still be noteworthy and pretty, even with its age spots and creaky hinges.

3. Our amazing bodies, which are always trying to persuade us to appreciate them and to take care of them.

4. A Cute Coincidence …

But first a little background: HR and I agree on many things BUT NOT ABOUT COFFEE. He’s a Starbucks fellow while I love Dunkin Donuts. And here in Rincon GA, fairly close to the farmhouse, there is a Dunkin Donuts a few doors down from a Starbucks.

So here’s what we do when we go out for morning coffee: Pop in to Dunkin Donuts to get mine and then head to Starbucks for Robert’s — and to sit a spell with our iPads.

My blasphemous DD proudly (arrogantly?) holding his own inside a Starbucks.

Oh, and here’s the Cute Coincidence: My barista at DD is named Winter, while Robert’s at Starbucks is Autumn.

5. Yesterday HR and I took a day trip across the Savannah River (yes, we’re still close to the river, an hour away from our home, which is two blocks from the river!) over to the Webb Wildlife Management Area in South Carolina.

The Webb’s entrance … and Robert.
Majestic Pines 

And here’s a little recording of bird sounds at the Webb’s rookery. (LOTS of LOUD birdies but hidden from view in the thick brush.)

TIB (Truth in Blogging): I had to look up the definition of a “rookery.” I was getting it confused with a “bird blind.”

“A rookery is a crowded, communal nesting or breeding colony, most commonly referring to birds like herons, egrets, or rooks.”

Cypress “knees” in Lake Bluff.

May you hike into some joy this weekend.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 1/17/26

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. Outdoor winter lunch at the farmhouse.

Voila! Hambone Soup

And it’s just warm enough to eat outside. It = weather as well as soup.

2. Reading/skimming through this beautifully delightful book about flowers.

And then going outside the farmhouse to practice …

Okay, maybe I won’t win any floral awards. But it was fun.

3. Being able to stay warm in the cold of winter. What a blessing!

Brrr. Savannah!

4. This ceiling light at a local indoor—outdoor restaurant.

5. The neat coincidence of Grandson Gabriel re-entering his recent high school basketball game just as an advertisement for his parents’ medical company flashed on the screen behind him.

http://www.coastalcarepartners.com

May you have some neat coincidences this weekend!

Posted in Lean in to the Lovely

Farmhouse Fun

As I mentioned before, Robert and I are staying at an old farmhouse in Effingham County, Georgia while our Savannah apartment is being renovated.

Here are a few photos to give you a taste of the personality of the farmhouse.

Posted in Monday Moaning or Monday Marveling?

Monday Moaning or Monday Marveling? 1/12/26

I’ve been doing a bit of both this Monday.

I’m marveling as I remember the nostalgic fun and yumminess of our recent traditional New Year’s Day menu: Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas.

Do you include these or similar items on your first-day-of-the-brand-new-year menu? Or is it just another quirky thing we do here in the Deep South?

Granny always encouraged/commanded me: “Nealie” (her nickname for me), “now eat your greens and peas. The greens will bring you lots of money in the form of bills, and the peas will bring you lots of change.”

Thanks, Granny, but I’m moaning a bit today as well … waiting, waiting for the cash jackpot.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 1/9/26

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. These gorgeous Paperwhite Narcissus jewels blooming in the yard of the old farmhouse (in January!) where Robert and I are staying while our kitchen and living room get a renovation.

2. Daughter Amy and her Hubby Scott being named one of Savannah’s “Power Couples” in the current issue of Savannah Magazine.

Old Proud Dad

3. Simplicity.

The older I get, the simpler I desire my life to be.

4. Good deals.

5. Anything Cardinal.

Sun catcher gift 

May you catch some joy this weekend.