Zum Gali Gali

I last wrote on July 2 which was my parent's anniversary. So a month has gone by and the pandemic is worse now in South Carolina. And to add to it we are approaching hurricane season. As I write a tropical storm is in the Bahamas and heading towards Florida and us. Hopefully it will not become a hurricane. Our big fear is would we evacuate and where would we go?

We keep busy with ZOOM classes, meetings and visiting friends, Brian & Rori online. We read, watch lots of TV and spend way too much time on the computer. It is too hot to do much walking so Sirius and I go out early in the morning and again just before dark. Usually Jeff takes us for an evening golf cart ride and that is a big treat. Either Jeff or I go to the grocery store and I love going to the local farm stand to get fresh vegetables and peaches. We rarely leave the house except for doctor visits. We did go to the beach again and I love swimming in the ocean. I will not go to the outdoor pool as there are too many people.

I continue my Hebrew lessons on Monday afternoons and have enjoyed many OLLI classes online. Every Wednesday I take a class with Rabbi Haas and I try to go to services on Saturday morning. My calendar actually looks full as I take so many classes including a great series from JewishGen which helps with my genealogy research. I am continuing with the plant based eating and have taken several online classes to learn more about this healthy lifestyle. Jeff and I both spend a fair amount of time cooking and enjoying it. Jeff also bakes and has been making challah most Fridays. He is also doing blueberry cobbler and some baked goods with peaches.

We had the Trabb's over for dinner on the porch. They brought their own food and sat at the table while we sat 20 feet away on chairs. Another night we went to Lynn & Neal's porch where they set up a separate table for us and we all had Chinese take out. I am wearing my binoculars because we were going to see the Neowise comet. We did see it one night, but kind of blurry. Still something to add to our life experiences.

On July 14 I attended the Hadassah National Meeting which was an all day event and wonderful. There were great speakers and information sessions. Now they are offering monthly workshops for leaders and they are well worth the time too. July 26 we did a family zoom with Terry, Marilyn and our California cousins. We see these family members more now then before the pandemic.

I am still playing Mah Jongg online and have discovered several Israeli TV series that we really enjoyed. Tonight we treated ourselves to Hamilton as new subscribers to the Disney Channel. Luckily we saw the play two years ago at the Kennedy Center in DC. Just as wonderful seeing it on our TV.

I cam up with an idea for my Hadassah chapter to make up snack baskets for the health care workers at area hospitals and nursing homes. I am chairing this project and today delivered the first basket. We have had a great response from our members and it felt good to do something positive for these health care heroes.

Brian and Rori modeling their Washington Nationals masks.

This afternoon I put on another hat with my Indivisible Chapter. We are advocating for everyone in South Carolina to be able to vote absentee in the upcoming election. So we created a petition and got 2000 signatures. Today we delivered the petition to our State Senator, Tom Davis. He was so gracious and sat with us for an hour discussing voting, the pandemic and answering all our questions.

This cute Carolina Wren visiting our feeder

Let's Do the Twist

A few more weeks have come and gone and our situation is a little worse as South Carolina has become a state leading in COVID cases. By now BLM is a secondary lead in the news as the virus takes the headlines.

On day 92 I ventured to Hilton Head and the dentist's office. I was nervous, but they were very careful and I had already canceled one appointment. Next day I had my annual eye exam and my annual mammogram figuring I would lump everything together and then get myself tested. Jeff visited the dentist too and had a few more doctor visits.

I continue to take classes and have meetings on ZOOM. Most fun is visiting online with Brian, Rori and her parents. I walk Sirius twice a day and try to take my own walk too. One day I heard The Twist and it really helped me to move quickly and dance down the street. Cattails along the boardwalk.

June 22 we went to the beach. It was wonderful and we found a secluded area to pitch our umbrella. I loved swimming in the ocean - twice - and walking in the sand. Wonderful!

Now we are counting down to the November election and I am working with Indivisible to get the vote out and ensure absentee ballots for everyone who wants one in our state. Continuing with the Hebrew lessons and taking courses with the OLLI summer program. Lots of time to do genealogy and writing to people who are DNA matches.

After all the doctor visits Jeff got an email from one office that his doctor had tested positive for COVID. OMG! Now we are panicked. So on Friday, June 26, Jeff and I went to a drive through COVID testing site. It took about a half hour and they came to the car with the long swab. I'll say it was unpleasant, but not painful. They certainly go far up the nostril and do both sides. Now we are waiting for the results by mail and six days later - no word yet. Meanwhile we are totally quarantined just in case.

So this week we stay in except for my walks and it is much too hot to even sit on the porch. We watched all three seasons of The Handmaid's Tale and found it fascinating and frightening. Now we wait for season four next year along with Bosch and Ozark.

A special treat is driving around in our golf cart with Sirius. One night we visited the bird rookery a few blocks away. We saw Ibis, Wood Storks, a Little Blue Heron, Egrets and Anhingas.

So now it is day 108 for us and things are not better. We ordered groceries online for curbside pickup as we were running out of food. I long to go the farm stand down the road, but have to wait until I get the test results.

We did have some backyard visitors although fewer birds are coming, probably because it is so hot.

Our Blue Jay returned

Our first Hummingbird

Jeff and Sirius schnuggling on the couch.