a look back at bananas

While looking through the filing cabinet on my desktop, I ran across this forecast of the upcoming baseball season.

My tickets for the 2020 five-game package had been selected by the bunch of Bananas and held the following games in store for me.

Friday, May 29

Saturday, June 20

Friday, July 3

Friday, July 17

Thursday, July 23

Yeah, that didn't happen.

Once the pandemic came ashore, all the plans flew out the window.

The staff had scrambled to fashion a new season out of the tattered rags.

Every fan (that still wanted to come to the stadium) was given new game dates in the quantity originally purchased...

but no trading tickets for other nights was allowed.

Sure, there was a fan site on fb where that could still be possible, but there would be none of that at the Bananas office.

The slope was already plenty slippery with the new safety regulations to follow.

When the dust cleared, I had no shared games with anyone I knew.

Not with Scott, or either of my brothers.

Not with Gene or Steve or Julie.

Certainly not with Mister Willie, not during a pandemic.

Sigh.

When the first game finally was played, Scott was there...

I was only there to scout it out from beyond the surrounding gates.

My first game to attend wasn't until July 13 - and the boys were so happy to see me that I was granted a rare grand slam - magnificent!

Six days later, on July 19, I had a nearly normal Sunday game, actually running into two friends that I didn't even know were in town.

My game three was on August 8, a Saturday, and although I had been concerned about an overflow crowd, I need not have been. 

The home team was following the rules, keeping the number of fans below 2000 -

in other words, less than half their normal capacity.

What a relief!

August 20th was the penultimate game for me, on a Thirsty Thursday, but almost everyone was behaving, so it was still quite enjoyable.

Perhaps it was because they didn't understand that the season had ended and these were extra games added simply to enhance the fan experience... that is, to make sure everyone got the number of games they'd paid for at the end of last year.

That game, as well as my last one on August 28, was part of the 'breakfast bowl' between the home guys and their nearest rivals in Macon.

Not that only the regular players were on each team - not hardly.

Most of those had returned to online classes at their universities.

However, that opened the door for players of the past to come back and visit.

How very nice to see those familiar faces!

That made for a more satisfying end to our shortened summer session.

So, what's the word, hummingbird?

(smile)

The Savannah Bananas have just taken the second of three payments for the 2021 five-game package I'm purchasing.

I just wonder whether the pandemic will be under control by the opening pitch.

It certainly is not controlled right now, not here in the USA nor elsewhere.

I think China is the lead dog in this race.

Whoever is elected our next President - as it is now seven days since the election and all the votes have not yet been finalized - needs to work with their scientists.

The Chinese definitely know what they're doing.

difficult choices

No, this has nothing to do with the recent election, so if you're looking for political pontification, keep walking.

I may, or may not, espouse on that topic once all results have been tabulated and the voting officials have released the names of the winners in all races.

You didn't think just a President was being elected, did you?

If you're a news addict, then you just might have thought that very thing.

Please seek help.

 

My post concerns two recent movies, one seen some few weeks ago, the other tonight. 

Neither movie had a hero to root for, someone fighting evil and triumphing.

Of course, that may just be my perspective, but let me plead my case.

The first movie was "Unhinged".

That one featured Russell Crowe as a man recently divorced, unemployed, and homeless, taking medication that did not seem to help his mental state.

During the night, he had killed his ex and her lover, finalizing the deed by burning down the house.

A few hours later, it's morning and he's in a trance at a traffic light.

A woman, taking her son to school, gets stuck behind him.

She's going through a divorce and her ex is not cooperating, plus she is one of those people who are perpetually late, a habit that adds to her stress.

At this point, she is not only going to get her son to school tardy and have him go to detention, but she is also standing up a friend who has agreed to to help her navigate through divorce court.

Frustrated by the hand dealt by life and how she has played it, she now finds herself behind a stopped truck at a light changing from yellow to red.

She blasts the car horn and swerves to the right to pass the truck, then continues, albeit very briefly, to the traffic jam ahead.

The truck catches up, of course.

While both are stopped, the driver gets her son's attention and tries to politely get the mother to apologize for her rudeness.

Not only does she refuse to do so, but she compounds her rudeness with more.

Then it's "game on" between the pair, with the boy caught in the middle of the hostilities and collateral damage as others get killed.

Honestly, the boy was the only one worth cheering, as he tried, unsuccessfully, to get his mom to do the right thing and not be a bully to a stranger.

At least this one had a moral:

Be kind to everyone because you do not know the sadness in their world.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that wasn't the intended message, but that's certainly what I took away from that movie.

As for tonight's movie, watched with Carolyn, I couldn't root for either side.

Both had matriarchs who expected everyone in the family to obey them...

and both were blindly obeyed, as to do otherwise brought unwanted attention.

I had very much looked forward to "Let Him Go", as it starred one of my favorite pairs of actors, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, made dear to me as Superman's "parents" here on Earth.

I knew they were grandparents in this one, so that was cool.

I knew the movie had been filmed in Montana, so I expected to see grand vistas and so had chosen to see it in BigD.

Very good choice, as the cinematographer clearly loved that lonely land of mountains and desert.

The movie opens with the couple's son dying while riding a horse (shades of Christopher Reeve), leaving them to help raise his infant son.

Then the widow remarries... 

eventually moving away...

and that's when the grandmother's obsession begins.

Sure, she had seen the new husband strike the woman and the boy, but instead of bringing it to anyone's attention, she allowed the thought to fester in her mind.

When the new husband had suddenly moved the family away, the grandmother became determined to go in search of them and to return home with the grandson.

Period.

Grandpa knew how she was, knew that once she set her mind to something nothing could dissuade her.

He goes along with her, hoping for the best, expecting an altercation, surprised to find she'd packed a gun, but still hopeful for a peaceful venture, reminding her that they "are not young" and the child in question is only three years old.

As a retired lawman, he realizes too late that they are in over their heads...

but he stays by her side, as he loves her in spite of her faults.

So, when did he suspect they were in trouble?

When all their inquiries concerning the stepdad of their grandson were met by folks cautioning them to take care in their dealings.

And when did he know for a fact they were in trouble?

When they find out the stepson had been summoned to return by his mother, a woman who had kept her sons close to hand all their lives and was upset that he had run off.

She was also upset that he had married without her approval and now had a step-child in tow.

She reminded me of my first husband's mother, a woman who had not approved of me and had not even come to the wedding, not even meeting me until after our second anniversary - yet, she expected us to live near her in Gresham, Oregon, and give her grandchildren "with the Schiller name".

That had been petty scary and had certainly contributed to the failure of that marriage.

So, we have ultra-controlling matriarchs on both sides, one using passive aggression and the other forthright aggression, and neither willing to bend.

And Grandpa, even after having his right hand chopped by a hatchet, knew his life would be hell if they did not complete their quest, knew the only way to return home was to get his wife what she wanted.

Kevin Costner was excellent, as always, clearly portraying this man trapped between doing the right thing and doing what would bring peace to his woman.

That's because she was still set on her path, even though her actions had led to his being maimed.

If this one has a moral, it may be something like:

Take care that your choices do not cause harm to others.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that wasn't the intended message, but that's the one I'm going to believe.

fabulous faustina friday!

Remember when I sent out Halloween cards to the greats a couple weeks ago?

I had a brainstorm and enclosed stamped, addressed, post cards with each one, along with a simple request to each recipient:

please draw a picture or write about something you like and return to me.

The post cards were all old, old, old, hanging around here unseen for the most part.

These two were from a trip to the Jacksonville Zoo in the 1980's or thereabouts, with a group of grad school friends.

Seriously.

Off they went to Alabama, the hippo to Conner, the buffalo to Merritt...

and today they came home to me!!!

With words on them!!!

Words my two nephews wrote!!!

How very magical!!!

And what good timing - I was just talking about my Halloween experiment!

This was a first Friday, so the Boomers had their luncheon and I was there!!!

I have so missed these people!

Sue Gorecki is doing her best to keep us all engaged with these and doing a bang-up job!

(Reminds me of the Lunch Ladies!)

Today, we weren't downtown but at a little place on Wilmington Island, J. Thomas Kitchen.

The other six had lunch, but I had brunch an hour earlier, so I opted for dessert instead!

This huge slab of Hummingbird Cake was super good and only $4 - wow!!!

Why this particular choice?

Well, Grandma used to make this.

As she has been on my mind of late, I thought I'd see how well J. Thomas' recipe held up to her standard.

Apparently, the chef is Southern, too!

Yep, I was definitely meant to be here for this gathering!

Right place, right time.

(smile!)

Tonight, I'll be dining on Thai...

at The King And I...

then attending "Goldeneye"...

and that's all the rhymin' I've got!

Bfrb, bear, and panda don't give that "aye" sound!

Plus, the movie is actually "Goldfinger", in honor of Sean Connery.

So... there's that.

(smile!)

why the lantana abides

Yesterday, I sat on the front stoop in the sun, basking in the warmth...

and realized I was not alone.

The wild lantana on both sides of the little porch was finally in bloom and had attracted some latecomers.

How very nice to have visitors!

Usually, the monarchs make my yard one of the oases of blooms to parch their thirst and fuel them up for the long road to Mexico.

Not so this year.

Two big stands of lantana in the front yard had not bloomed at all, their leaves looking shriveled and patchy and dried out instead of firm and lush green.

I had chopped down those two three or four weeks ago and hauled them to the curb.

Their removal sparked some reaction in the remaining bushes out front.

Their leaves transformed and variegated blossoms popped out within two weeks.

Better late than never, I guess!

The presence of the butterflies and moths and even a few small bees seem to confirm that conjecture.

I'm just glad to have the little lovelies brightening the yard, and my life, with their presence.

Inspired by their industrious nectar-gathering, I set about clearing the overgrown vegetation in the side yard.

Mostly it was a cluster of very straggly wild lantana that had bloomed on time - i.e., in early October - and run its course.

A few misplaced oak seedlings and wild cherry saplings caught my eye and those were chopped down, too.

Now, three fairly tidy piles await those who haul such things away.

(smile!)

And while I was making those piles tidy, my youngest brother stopped by on his way home from work!

We chatted, with his truck in the street, for at least twenty minutes.

Very nice!

Then, done with the yardwork and about to go in for some slunch, my neighbor pulled up in front of my yard!

John - remember him? the one who shares my birthday? - has been in Alabama with his daughter and has decided to move there for good. Jessica and Rob are still going to rent the house, so that's good.

We must have chatted at least twenty minutes, maybe even forty!

I dined on my quick and easy "poor girl's ceviche" and watched an old Christmas-themed "Beat Shazam", trying to guess the songs.

And the phone rang... and it was my brother Smitty!

He had not only spotted our middle brother, but had conversed with him!

He knows that I've been concerned about Ronnie, as I have not talked with him in two years; that's a long time to not know a brother is doing okay.

Now that I know he hangs out at the Marathon gas station on Skidaway, I'll make a point of looking him up.

Who knows?

Maybe he'll surprise me and let me buy him a phone to keep in touch...

but I'll at least get him to call his daughter and son to check in.

Yes, that sounds like a plan of action...

and this is the first hat trick with my brothers that I've had in quite a while.

Very nice!

i thank You, God.

'lection day luncheon!

Such a rare treat!

A weekday lunch with my first niece!

We haven't had those since she stopped working in Richmond Hill.

The reason we were able to today is twofold: she had not yet changed her voting address and she was off from work early because the littlest girl had misbehaved at daycare.

All of that worked in my favor -

i thank You, God!

It was even on a Tina Tuesday, so I'm counting this as my date night meal - oh, yes, I am!

I had been planning to pick up pizza from Papa Murphy's, but now there was no need for that dinner.

Cici's made one to order for me, sans cheese but with plenty of chicken, pepperoni, and veggies, so I was one happy camper.

Plus, there was that great big salad and fresh, hot cinnamon buns for dessert.

This was a much better deal...

and the company that shared this with me made it a repast fit for royalty.

(smile!)

word up, tell me what's the word?

Please notice the date - October 6 - and please also notice one more thing.

Although this resembles the "new cases" graphs I've posted, this data is not for several states in the USA.

It's for several states in India.

This brought home to me that ours is not the only country dealing with a myriad of responses to the SARS-CoV-2 virus over a period of time.

This is why it has been so difficult to convince people worldwide to treat COVID as a serious issue: it may not have yet affected their part of the country or of a state.

 

 

These are the latest curves for our home-grown pandemic.

Yes, I mean home-grown, as we have had the opportunity to quell the surge, but have instead embraced the rush upward.

Once the first cases were found in California and New York, a half-hearted effort to stop the disease was met with resistance nationwide... and the virus marched on, unchecked, spread by bare faces and dirty hands and tainted breath.

It was mindless of religious faith or political persuasion, not heeding ethnic backgrounds or gender differences or even rainbow affiliation, discounting relevance of financial wealth or job title.

After all, it's a virus.

It doesn't play favorites.

It doesn't play.

The whole function of a virus is to make more of itself and to use its host's ribosomes to do so... and to use its host to spread to other hosts.

The virus depends on its host being in close proximity to other potential hosts, whether at the beach or theme parks as it was in the summer, or up in areas rich in fall foliage.

In this graph of rates of infection per 100000 people, there are three trends present.

There are those that are beginning to plateau (LA, FL, GA, CA, TX), those leading into an intense rise (MI, PA, TN) and those sharply increasing and heading for the moon (AL, OK).

Those latter five are at a little higher latitude, so the trees were quite lovely a month ago... and their rates, as well as their weekly sums of new cases, have been rising for the last two weeks.

Yes, there's that magic number: two weeks.

No surprise there.

Sigh.

Again, we need not feel singled out.

Every country, on every continent, has been dealing with this malevolent virus, some for a few months longer than we in the USA.

Europe is currently experiencing a second wave that has been much more deadly than the first and has posted daily infection rates that are triple what was perceived as so terrible during their first encounter with this coronavirus.

COVID-19 is not only a serious problem in the United States.

COVID-19 is not a disease which will be cured by a change in leadership, in this nation or elsewhere.

COVID-19 requires all humans to make a concerted effort to eradicate it, regardless of where they live or what they believe or how they self-identify.

COVID-19 requires each one of us to take responsibility for our actions, to lead our children by example to be mindful of causing no harm to others.

Colder temperatures mean more people inside, in spaces with recirculated air, whether at a grocery store or at work or in school.

It is vital that each one of us makes the effort to have the health of others always in mind, wearing our face coverings, washing our hands, not touching surfaces.

Remember, the goal continues to be no new cases...

As Cameo would say, "Word Up!"

Here's my take on that song.

 

"Yo everybody all around the world
Got a true thing to show you
So tell all the boys and girls

Tell India, Brazil and all of Europe too
COVID madness looms around us
though we know just what to do

Wear your mask everywhere to show you care
Maintain social distance even if others look and stare
Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands but not quick
Got to get you up some lather cause that's the real trick
Word up
everybody say
Wash those hands for twenty seconds and do not touch your face
Word up
it's the code
word
Let's all try to do better - please tell me that I'm heard

That virus doesn't care if you think you're fly
It cares naught about religion and here's the reason why
A virus has no politics, ethnicity, or gender
It's an alien invader, that's what you gotta remember

With no vaccine we ain't gonna lose it
Whichever way we turn it'll already be there
We don't have the time for bureaucratic nonsense
No nonsense, no nonsense, no nonsense for me, people
Come on won't you tell me
what's the word
Word up
everybody say
When you hear the call please say you'll get it underway"
 

'Til next we meet...

please take care of each other.

Not just those you know and love, but also the strangers you haven't met yet.

Thanks.

4 girls birthday party!

Here they are, rounded up from the playground and sitting at the table, waiting for the "Happy Birthday" song to start!

There's Leila, closest to her Grammy; then the shorter, at least as blonde, head of Chloe; and then Miyah Papaya, closest to Nana Venita!

I know, I know, there's supposed to be four girls at this shindig...

and there were...

until Alyssa broke her arm in multiple places on the swings.

(She and her daddy missed the entire three-hour pizza party there at J.F. Gregory Park.)

After cupcakes and ice cream, it was finally time to tackle that massive mound of gifts!

I swooped in and set up the girls with my gifts to open first!

I wanted to make sure I would get this photo, right?

Of all three opening the G'Aunt Tina presents at the same time, right?

Good call!

Once they started tearing off wrapping paper, it was anyone's guess whose gift was in their hands!

Not my first rodeo, right?

I was in exactly the right place, right time, to capture this shot - amazing!

Not only did I catch 2-year-old Chloe with her toddler art kit and 3-year-old Miyah all ready for a tea party with her multi-piece set, but I also got their Mama, my dear Christina Ann, right there, too -

just by pure coincidence -

which means Mama was right there with me.

What a blessing!

After that, my turn was over and I backed off and let others in close.

I knew that Papa Chris, sitting there on the tailgate, was videotaping the proceedings for posterity, as well as for the missing twin sister and dad.

I also knew this was probably the only shot taken of him, right?

The one behind the lens is the only one not captured on film, usually -

but not this time!

But wait!

I had not revealed what 6-year-old Leila had received!

Well, first, inside that Dia De Los Muerte bag was a smaller gift bag, stuffed with five pairs of fun socks, a package of mini-posters to paint, and five reusable cloth face masks, each with a floral pattern and in a nice variety of colors.

Those are sure to keep her healthier, not that she's in kindergarten!

But the part she was most excited about was the yellow monarch card at the top of her bag -

I'll have to remember she likes butterflies!

Alyssa's lighter color DdLM bag had the other 5 pairs of socks from the ten-pack I'd bought, a mini-poster package, and, of course, five face masks for her, this time in bright bandanna colors.

I hope she'll like them!

I know I liked the goodie bag I walked away with - and I'm not talking about the half-package of mini-Tootsie Rolls I got!

Oh, no, I'm referring to the 'corn (as Miyah refers to unicorns) filled with candy eyeballs, stickers, a stamp pad, a mini-notebook, and a even a pen!!!

Wow - pretty nifty goodie bag!

Thanks, y'all, for letting this big kid have one!

(smile!)