Smoke Signals and other news
This week has been another one filled with new adventures. Some days were quiet, with everyone at work and school. It was just me, my dog Charlie, and the grandkids’ huge one-hundred-pound gentle Bernadoodle named Bentley, staying at the house. Charlie has made himself at home, finding ways to keep out of Bentley’s reach, but he is slowly becoming more tolerant of him. I have even been brave enough to walk Bentley a couple of times, which is definitely a challenge for me.
The Georgia weather tends to be a bit warmer than home but still has a chill in the air. Friday night through Saturday, the Savannah area received rainfall that broke records back to the 1800s.
Of course, the quietness vanishes when my grandkids, Landon and Olivia, arrive home from school. Friday was their last day of school for the year, with class parties and “see you next year” goodbyes. As usual, Olivia’s mom, Ellen, went all out for her party, complete with paintable cookies from her newly opened bakery in Springfield, GA. They are happy the break from school has begun.
It is interesting to see everyone in the house uses “Alexa” to play their favorite songs and games and to get answers to questions. It is a cloud-based voice service available on more than 100 million devices from Amazon and third-party device manufacturers. Alexa has a natural voice that can help with just about any question you have or play your favorite songs. I remember sitting by the radio for hours to hear our favorite songs.
On Tuesday, a trip to Savannah was necessary to pick up cedar boards for Landon’s Wood Duck Box orders. Watching the pride he puts into the work on each box makes me even prouder of him. While there, Ellen took me on a tour of most of the town. The ancient live oaks draped with hanging moss stand proudly beside native palm trees. The city is primarily clean, with many pocket parks. The area along the river with the cobblestones and bricks laid by slaves many years ago was especially interesting. The narrow steps, also built by the slaves, would
be a challenging climb for the agile climber but not something I wanted to try. We also toured the area on Saturday night when we went to eat at the Pirate’s House Restaurant, located in the oldest home in the area. It was once an inn for local seafarers and many pirates. Once scheduled for demolition, it was saved by several ladies of the area and is now a thriving restaurant.
The Gehrke family began a weight loss and healthy eating journey at the first of 2023. While eating healthier, Olivia is not part of the weight loss journey. Their combined weight loss is over 250 pounds, and they feel healthier and better.
On Sunday, we drove an eight-hour round trip to York, South Carolina, to see my 92- year-old uncle, Bill Haven (my Dad’s youngest and only living brother), and his 82-year-old wife, Carolyn. They married when Ellen was three days old and insisted we attend the wedding. When he was able, he visited Byhalia, where he grew up, every year, and I was able to visit his home once. I never expected to see him again. I hugged him so many times. He is in good health and tried to make sure I didn’t fall with this bad knee. He took us to the basement to his “man
cave” to see his work bench with old and new tools. His fishing poles are neatly arranged at the back door, with his tackle box nearby, ready to walk out the door to the dock on his lake. Everything about him reminded me of my Dad.
I pray that each of you have a Merry Christmas and can spend some time with family and friends during the season. Remember the true meaning of Christmas. Most of us have loved ones who are no longer here to celebrate with us. My husband, Doug, has been gone a little over a month, and I still have trouble processing the fact that he is truly gone from our lives. I find myself snapping pictures of things to show him, as I had done for the last several years when he was primarily home-bound. Someone was selling the World’s Finest Chocolate this week, and I reached out to buy one for him as that was one of his favorites. Treasure your family. Make amends where you can. Make many pictures and memories; that may be all you have someday.
Please share your news with me at jchwagg@gmail.com or text or call 901 246-8843. You can message me on Facebook as Clair Wagg.