This morning, I am marveling at the memory of my Christmas Chili yesterday for Sunday Brunch.
It was just SO good!
With my Jalapeño Cornbread as supporting actor.
Monday Moaning or Monday Marveling? 12/23/24 “It’s Chili in Savannah!”
Tag: Photography
Shhh … Silent Sunday. 12/22/24
(There are no words.)
Tractor Seat!
As I walked through Warren Square here in Savannah this morning, these striking yellow blooms stopped me with their glorious December beauty.
“Farfugium japonicum is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteracee, also known as leopard plant, green leopard plant or tractor seat plant.” Wikipedia
Their big green leaves actually do look a bit like tractor seats!
Five Friday Happy Bringers 12/20/24
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1.My fragrantly delicious holiday roasted rosemary nuts.
2. Granddaughter Isabelle, aka Santa’s Little Helper.
3. The gift of Appreciation.
4. Pink camellias saying hello from behind a downtown Savannah garden wall near us.
5. A couple of HR’s dangling Christmas pins.
May you have a Merry Weekend-Before-Christmas ahead!
“The Artful Dodger“ #23
A blog category about finding “art” in unexpected places and situations.
Robert put together a quick yummy breakfast for us this morn.
And then I “put mine together” a little more festively.
His (her?) name is “Noel.”
(You know you have far too much time on your hands when you can rearrange the food on your plate.)
Seriously? Seriously!
So early this evening, Robert and I went for a walk along the Savannah River a few blocks from our place.
There’s a fairly new development along this evening’s trek, “Eastern Wharf” …
Their advertising is obviously meant for “non-early-evening casual walkers” …
Seriously?
The only thing I saw that was worth $3 Mil to $9 Mil was the Stunning Sunset …
Seriously!
May you have a joyful million dollar view soon.
One-Word Wednesday 12/18/24
“Hanging”
Nothing Gold
Robert and I live in an old 1800’s apartment building in Historic District Savannah, so we don’t have much garden space. But we do what we can. (Correction: HR manages most of the “doing.”)
Here’s our little Japanese maple as she decided to “seasonally change” her outerwear recently.
Isn’t she gorgeous?!
I told her, EXCITEDLY, that she was simply LOVELY in her shimmering gold, thinking she would receive the compliment graciously.
And she did. Sort of. The she smiled, as wise sentient beings often do and said with patience (which wise sentient beings often have): “Neal” (I was thrilled she knew my name), “seasonal change, as you call it, is a part of life. We all go through it.”
“And sometimes it strips you bare.”
My smile drooped a bit. I wasn’t really keen on that part of our convo.
“It’s a part of life,” she said with no trepidation in her voice.
Maple got me to thinking, and I know I have probably used this poem far too often in my blog, but it SO resonates with me, especially as I’m getting … older and “seasonally changing.”
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.
— Robert Frost
Here are a few of Robert’s photos of Maple and her “seasonal change.”
May we all “seasonally change” so gracefully.
Monday Moaning or Monday Marveling? 12/16/24 “Marvelous Bells”
I’m marveling this Monday morning!
A couple of months ago, as I was aimlessly meandering through my Savannah Historic District neighborhood, minding my own business and thinking about who knows what, I came across one of those Free Little Libraries. Do you have them where you live? I love them! The Universe speaks to me through them!
This is my routine when I see one.
I stop. Gather my wits (which sometimes takes a while). And then sorta yell (if there are no mental health professionals such as my therapist Rubi lurking nearby):
“Okay, Universe, here we are again! What do you want me to read this time?!”
Well, this time it was “Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be.”
Even though I had never heard of it, I was THRILLED when I saw the book’s cover. (It doesn’t take much to thrill me.) Wouldn’t you be thrilled? No, you probably wouldn’t be. So let me explain. Have you had your morning coffee?
Savannah has twenty-two uniquely beautiful squares in the Historic District (more in other parts of the city). And one of HR’s and my favorites is Troup Square near us.
I have walked through Troup a zillion times. I like the quirky globe in the center.
But the THRILL came from remembering this historical marker in the square near the Unitarian Universalist Church …
So it seems that James Lord Piedmont, music director of the church in the 1880’s, composed “Jingle Bells“!
Well, after the Universe graciously presented the book to me, I put it away in my bedroom closet. Wouldn’t you? No? Here’s why I did: Robert and I have this tradition of reading several holiday books during November/December. I wanted to wait till Christmas was approaching to find out about “Jingle Bells.”
I pulled it out yesterday, harassed Robert until he agreed to accompany the book and me to Troup Square to Holiday Read.
We sat on a bench facing the Unitarian Church …
… and I ardently read to a mesmerized HR the fictionalized account of Pierpont’s birthing “Jingle Bells.” (Eliciting only a handful of pitiful stares from Sunday afternoon passersby wondering why that old man was excitedly reading a children’s book to that obviously entranced non-child sitting next to him.)
[Perhaps I made up the “mesmerized” and “entranced” parts.]
But the book really is fun, especially the scene during Pierpont’s introducing his new song at the church’s Christmas concert. At the “Dashing through the snow” line, the children of the church throw up clouds of white feathers to symbolize snow (since warm Savannah rarely sees the real thing).
So There. That’s why I’m marveling this Monday morn.
NealEnJoy 