The Weekend Wrap Up

Once again another weekend has come and gone.  Even though I’m retired, the weekends simply fly by! 

Friday was a fairly uneventful day.  I did get some piecing done … it’s just slow going, but I am making progress.  Salvation Army came to get DD’s stuff that had been stored in our basement for the last year (they moved to a smaller house, and 2/3 of their basement is finished, so we’ve been storing some of their stuff since they moved).  We don't use our basement for anything other than storage, so it was no big deal.

Saturday morning I baked an apple pie … to take to our neighbors’ annual spring fish fry … the food was fantastic, and we had a great time visiting with everyone.  An couple of high points were meeting a new couple who also love Hilton Head and Gus.  Our neighbors’ son and his wife were down from Chicago, and they brought their dog – a lab mix named Gus … he was a little shy, but after a little while, he warmed up and I got to spend a little time loving on him.

Sunday was Mother’s Day, and it was a fantastic day.  We attended church with DD and her family.  After church we all (DH and I, DD and her family, DSIL’s parents) went to Longhorn for lunch.  After lunch, we came back here for the afternoon.  I gave the Ts the t-shirts we got them while in Hilton Head (I think I hit a home run with the Darth Gator t-shirt I found for T#1, who is a HUGE Star Wars fan).  DD and DSIL challenged DH and me to a game of Rook.  After everyone left, I unwound by spending an hour in the sewing room, doing a little more piecing. 

All in all, it was a good weekend … just the right combination of busy-ness and relaxing time … which is the way my week will be starting as well.  We have small group this evening (unless DD & DSIL choose to have their date night tonight – and I’ll get some T-time!).  I should have some time this morning to be able to spend a little more time in the sewing room.

Friday Fragments

Just in time … Friday Fragments! 

I got 5 more blocks pieced together yesterday.  I am not sure how many more to go.  I had some calculations done of how many blocks I could piece together out of my strips, but I cannot find that now.  I’m just going to piece blocks together until I run out of my strips.



Our end tables should be finished and ready for pick up today.  That means that I’ll be able to get back to hand quilting my blue and white Irish chain.  Perhaps I’ll piece log cabin blocks this afternoon and sit in the recliner and quilt while watching the Cardinals game tonight. 



My legs are really aching today.  We did a lot of walking while in Hilton Head … we spent at least an hour each day walking along the beach.  My legs were already feeling the effects of all that walking when I had to make multiple trips up and down the stairs to bring up DD’s stuff that Salvation Army is going to come pick up today.  I didn’t realize that I was that out of shape.



DH went to the dentist yesterday … found out he has an abscessed tooth.  He was surprised to hear that … he hadn’t been having any pain.  He’s on antibiotics … we’re praying that he won’t have to have it pulled and a bridge put in. 



The State of Illinois, in all its wisdom, has decided to get its financial affairs in order on the backs of its retirees.  I retired from the state university here, and because I had over 20 years of service, I was entitled to State-provided health insurance.  Knowing that I’d have health insurance was one of the reasons that I felt that we could afford for me to take early retirement 3 1/2 years ago.  Now the State has decided to renege on its promises to its retirees and to eliminate our health insurance.  Which means that for the next 4 years (until I’m eligible for Medicare), I’ll be paying for my health insurance.  And I’m one of the lucky ones.  Because state employees do not pay into Social Security, many haven’t paid into Social Security for the obligatory 40 quarters to be eligible for Social Security benefits and as a result won’t be eligible for Medicare (although paying into Social Security is a double-edged sword … it will make us eligible for Medicare, but any Social Security benefits will be cut significantly because we are receiving a pension from employment where Social Security was not withheld from our earnings).  I cannot deny that the State is in trouble financially and that it needs to do something to get things back on track.  And I cannot deny that the State pension system needs some overhauling (too many stories like the former teachers' union president who spent a few low-paid years teaching in the 1970s, before his union career and then ended up retiring on a $185,000 annual pension based on his much higher union salary or union officials who weren't teachers to begin with and were allowed to get into the teacher pension system with brief teaching stints … including two union lobbyists who got in on that system by merely substitute-teaching for one day and then were in line for large pensions based on their union salaries).  But not at the expense of those of us who put in decades of day-to-day service.  Ok, I’ll step down off my soap box now.



This Sunday is Mother’s Day.  To all you moms (whether by birth or by heart): 

We Now Resume Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

 

We’re back home … there truly is no place like home.  And while there’s a little piece of my heart back on the beach in Hilton Head, there’s a whole big piece of my heart that’s here in Illinois where my favorite people are. 

 

We’ve been pretty busy here at Chez Nana since we returned Tuesday evening.  I’ve been as busy as a bee unpacking and doing laundry.  I had to take a break from that to help my dad.  He’s been under the care of an ophthalmologist since he was diagnosed with glaucoma back in 2010.  His ophthalmologist’s office is not far from our house, so when he has an appointment, he comes here to wait for his eyes to finish “undilating” before he heads back home.  While he was at his doctor’s office, I was busy trying to straighten out some of his medical bills (he was convinced that he owed his ophthalmologist $385, when he only owed $27 … he was adding up duplicate statements and insurance payment notifications).

 

I’m going to get back to my normal routine today … and I’m hoping that will include some time in the sewing room.  We sent our end tables off to be refinished (they were showing every bit of their 24 years), so without an end table to hold all my stuff (scissors, thread, marking pencils, quilting stencil, etc.), I’m not going to be able to hand quilt.  But I do hope to be able to work on piecing together some more log cabin blocks.

 

Our time in paradise …

Ok, it’s technically not paradise, but for DH and me, it’s about as close as we’ll come here on this earth.  After all, there’s beach, warm weather, fresh seafood, beautiful flowers, and the perfect blend of southern (moss-draped live oaks) and tropical (palm trees) beauty.  As I’ve said before, about the only thing that would be better would be if DD and her family were here.

We rarely leave the island when we come to Hilton Head, so after our trip to Savannah to see the tall ships, we’ve stayed here on the island.  After all, who in their right mind would leave this:



Saturday we had dinner over in Harbour Town, home of the landmark lighthouse.

We always enjoy walking around the marina after we eat in Harbour Town … I think some of those boats moored there are bigger than our house … and certainly cost 3-4 times as much as our house!

(I couldn’t even get the entire thing in the view finder of my camera!).

I wasn’t able to get a shot of the sunrise … too cloudy early in the mornings.  But I did come across this while on my way back to the hotel after trying for a sunrise shot on Saturday morning. 
I wondered if these were sea turtle tracks … it’s the time of year when they come ashore to lay eggs.  I didn’t see any visible signs of a nest or nest making (not that I would expect to), but the meandering tracks certainly made me wonder if it wasn't something else. 

And while the clouds once again interfered with my photo opportunities (too many clouds just on the horizon to get a shot of the super moon coming up over the horizon ), I did get some shots of the super moon rising.
  
 
We had brunch Sunday at our favorite restaurant here on the island.  I couldn’t decide between their take on eggs Benedict (with crab cakes instead of Canadian bacon) or their shrimp and grits.  I opted for the eggs Benedict because it’s only available for brunch … and we can return today for the shrimp and grits. 


Monday is our last day here … and while I’m not ready to leave, I am certainly ready to get back home to our favorite people.  As much as this island holds a piece of my heart, those favorite people back home hold a much, much bigger piece. 

Besides, if the Lord wills, we’ll be back this fall. 

Road Trip

I mentioned that we were going to try to get over to Savannah to see the tall ships.  I wasn’t sure if we’d go … for the last 2-3 trips to Hilton Head, we’ve planned a day trip to Charleston, but once we get on the island, we just can’t seem to pull ourselves away from the beach.    But after breakfast yesterday, we decided that we’d go to Savannah – after all, the tall ships are only there for a few days. 

Getting to Savannah from Hilton Head means crossing the Talmadge Memorial Bridge.  This picture, taken from a good ways from the bridge, doesn’t do justice to how huge this bridge is.

I am afraid of heights, so crossing this bridge is no small feat.    But it was worth it to get over to Savannah and see the tall ships.



We were able to board the Dewaruci, a ship from Indonesia. 





I don’t know much about these beautiful ships, but I was very surprised by the beautiful carvings on board.

After we finished up at the riverfront, we visited a little bit of Savannah. 




There’s rain in the forecast.  The Lowcountry desperately needs the rain, so I can’t complain too much.  Thankfully the rain isn’t supposed to move in until later this afternoon, so we should be able to get plenty of beach time today.  I am hoping, however, for a break in the rain later this evening … I’d love to get a picture of the super moon rising out on the ocean. 

We’re here!

 

We left dark and early (as opposed to bright and early … get it? ha!) Tuesday morning.  We drove about 11 hours (but it took us 12 1/2 hours because we stopped for breakfast, for lunch, and for potty breaks whenever we needed to.  DH is a sweetheart to travel with … every time we see a rest stop, he always asks if I need to stop … and if I do, he never complains).  We crossed the bridge onto Hilton Head Island late Wednesday morning … and like always, I could literally feel my spirit lift as we drove onto the island. 

 

We stopped at one of our favorite restaurants for lunch; after lunch we headed for our hotel, hoping that we could at least check our luggage so we could get in some beach time this afternoon.  We were able to check in early, so we changed and immediately headed out for the beach! 

I just know that God made me to be refreshed and renewed on the beach.  I could stay here forever … except for one small thing … make that six various-sized things … DD, DSIL and my Ts. 

 

I don’t know what these flowers are … they grow in bushes that form a hedge around the pool … and the scent is spectacular.

 

Here are some more shots take from around the grounds of our hotel.

 

We hope to be able to drive down to Savannah and see the tall ships this weekend … if we can pull ourselves away from the beach.  That’s the only activity we have planned … we intend to spend the rest of our days here on the beach, at the pool, or in the bike paths. 

The Weekend Wrap Up

 

Thursday, I had absolutely nothing on my agenda and planned to spend the day quilting.  Instead I spent the day at DD’s.  T#1 had saved up his money and bought himself a new game The Settlers of Catan … and needed someone to play with him.  DD and I were his worthy opponents … but he still whipped our behinds!  It was a game I’d never heard of, but it was fun. 

We had dinner followed by a rousing game of kickball, where I went 0 for 3.  It was boys vs girls, and while the boys thrashed us, we still had a great time.  My legs were a little sore Friday morning, but that was a small price to pay for the fun we had.

 

After a lazy start to my Friday, I got a phone call from DD asking if I would like some “T-time” since we’ll be leaving soon.  Obviously I said yes!  I prepared a new recipe that evening … chicken florentine pasta … I found the recipe over at Mrs. 4444’s recipe blog after I linked up with Friday Fragments.  It was yummy!  Chicken, spinach, pasta, parmesan cheese … what’s not to love?  I wrapped my Friday up watching the Cardinals defeat the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

Saturday was a quilting/sports/storm marathon.  I had planned the quilting and sports portion of the marathon … the storm portion not so much.  I spent the afternoon quilting in my chair in the living room, watching the Cardinals beat the Brewers again.  After the game, I continued quilting … until we heard the storm sirens sound and headed down to the basement.  We finished dinner just in time to sit down to watch the Blues take on the Kings in the conference semi-finals, when once again the storm sirens sounded … and once again we spent another half hour in the basement … when the storm passed and we were able to head back upstairs, the Blues had scored their only goal of their defeat by the Kings. 

 

After church Sunday, I had lunch with DD and some mother-daughter bonding at Target (we picked up some cleaning supplies and paper products for a sweet woman at church who’s been given some discouraging news regarding her cancer).  DH & I spent the afternoon getting the bulk of our packing done … we’ll finish up tomorrow.  I finished up my Sunday with quilting.