Sand Sculpture Anyone???

Greetings and blessings to our folks. We hope that all is still going well with you. Jo and Jesse are here in Savannah and still grooving. It’s like we’re really getting comfortable down here, and that’s not hard for us to do. Besides taking it easy and thinking about our future years, we haven’t been doing too much. But here’s what been happening with us over the past week.

Jo and her friend, Jackie Hood went to a “Four Seasons” tea sponsored by one of the Savannah Eastern Star chapters on Sunday the 3^rd. Jackie (from Stamford, CT) had been a volunteer usher with us the Music Festival in March. The tea was not your regular finger foods. They had dinner representing each of the 4 seasons and a program. While the ladies were at the tea, Jesse and Jackie’s father, Gene (?) Hood, spent some quality time together watching a ball game, talking about his years in the Army during WWII, about African American music, and so on. Bro. Hood (oh yes, he is a Mason and Shriner) is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, but he is still very much aware and a mellow brother. It seemed that relevant conversation and company meant a lot to him. That gave Jesse something to think about seriously.

Monday, we got a visit from Springfield resident Janis Jordan and her friend who were referred to us by our friend Betty Davis (remember, the Savannah native who we visited with in March?). The minute Jo and Janis saw each other, they knew they had met before. It appears that Janis had worked at SAC (Springfield Action Commissions) when Jo was with SAC Head Start. Janis is looking for a change of venue, and thought that Savannah might be a good place to start her new shea butter lotion business. She had never been to Savannah before, but had done her research and decided to check the city out to see if it suited her. After lunch, we drove them around different sites and neighborhoods to help her make up her mind. She seemed to like what she saw. We had a good day together. We suspect that she will be back.

On Tuesday morning, Jo spent time volunteering at the Heritage Park Nursing Home to assist the residents who were making “flower pens” for the staff for Mother’s Day. She was in her glory doing crafts with them. Again that is one of those situations that should remind us all just how fleeting this life is. If we’re not in a nursing home yet, we should be thankful.

Wednesday, instead of going to the Market to vend, Jo attended a meeting of Solomon Temple # 95, Order of Eastern Star in Savannah. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences in the rituals between the Springfield and Savannah chapters. We have found out that sororities, and fraternities are very important among African Americans in the South.

As you can tell by now, volunteering is a joy to Jo. On Thursday, she went to the Jepson Art Museum to help organize their archives. The Jepson features contemporary art, which is right down her alley, and she was quite happy with her day. So what’s Jesse doing? He’s practicing keyboard, doing some household duties, and now finishing his online course through Westfield State College. He also planted some flowers in the front yard, which needed color.

There was a sand sculpture contest at Tybee Island on Friday. It was put on by students of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Those kids made some amazing sculptures there. Folks were having a great time, including us.

The next day, Saturday was “Green Fest” at the Farmers’ Market in Savannah. It’s the same event as the other Farmers’ Market, except that the additional focus was on environmental conservation. Jo had her best sales day to date and also got some good advice in the process. The Savannah Urban Arts Festival was also being held that day. At this venue, the program consisted of spoken word, rap, and dance mainly for the younger generation, but some of us older folks enjoyed it too. There was a beat contest which we had never heard of but got to experience. We don’t quite understand what the big deal is, but probably should have taken the opportunity to have someone explain it to us. At the Festival, we also happened upon a talk by Bill Strickland, an artist turned social activist, author, and entrepreneur who has done some amazing work on making positive changes in Pittsburgh with the hopes of replicating it in African American communities around the country. If you don’t check any other link in this blog, check him out. Saturday was an exceptionally good day.

One last thing…. God willing, we have decided to spend the school year in Savannah, and summer in Amherst. We love our friends in Amherst, but find Savannah to be a vibrant, energizing city with no snow. We don’t know how long this arrangement will last but hope to put the plan into effect starting this summer. If you know anyone looking to rent our house on a 9-10 month school-year basis, please put them in touch with us. Your thoughts, suggestions, and comments are welcome.

Peace and Blessings to you and yours,

Jo and Jesse