Stuff, stuff, and more stuff

This Year of Being 59 has not been what I’ve planned. But it has been memorable. While I’ve missed out on a few trips and a planned reunion with some public health friends, I’ve also had some wonderful experiences and tried a lot of new things. I mean, I flew a plane for heaven’s sake! Took a wonderful (though slightly curtailed) trip to Breckenridge, my first vacay in snow. But the last two months? Let’s see…

I had signed up to do a Habitat for Humanity Women Who Build which, of course, Covid ruined. The house is being built, though, and I was at least able to go write my name on the studs (boards, not the men putting the house up) and generally support the cause. That was a new effort for me and a worthwhile cause.

Took a much-needed trip to Destin in October with my life-long friend Karen. Not the first time I’ve been to Destin, but it was a place I’ve never stayed before and I haven’t been in quite some time. We also visited another friend, another Karen and her husband Tom. Never fear: though they are both Karens, neither is a stereotypical “Karen” that is often used as a pejorative these days. The trip was great, except the water wasn’t the usual beautiful aqua color it usually is because of all the hurricane activity. But it was still a great getaway and very relaxing.

Speaking of hurricanes, will this season PLEASE end? I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve closed down, battened the hatches, and prepared this year. We finally got our direct hit this past weekend with Hurricane Zeta. She made landfall at nearly a Category 3, so lots of damage out there and at this writing still have friends without power and some without water. I came through with barely a scratch, thank goodness. But I do not take that luck for granted. Now there’s another one out there making noise, Hurricane Eta. Right now, it looks to be scheduled to harangue Central America and Mexico, but it if holds together and gets back into the Gulf of Mexico, who knows?

Also had a lovely and quick visit with my friend Lynn in Jackson when I drove up for the day and my semi-annual hair tune-up the first week in October. Yes, twice a year I get my hairs cut and highlights put in; don’t hate me because I’m low maintenance! Ha! We ate a new place in the Fondren area and had a great time catching up. Also had a surprise visit with a couple of other college friends, Shelly and Molly, mid-month. I was introduced to peanut butter whiskey and I am going to start touring liquor stores in search of a bottle for the Birthday coming up in a couple of weeks. Seriously folks: nectar of the gods good! Oh, and the visit with the girls was awesome as well. Always good for my soul to spend time with college friends!

Which leads us to food, and there have been a couple of adventures there as well. Experimenting with a little gluten free cooking, just to see if I can make it work. Have several work friends who have gluten issues, and trying to figure out what I can cook for them. The first attempt was a recipe tweaking to make a lime cheesecake with a macadamia nut and coconut crust. Really, really good! Will definitely add that to my repertoire of cheesecakes! Then during this hurricane break I experimented with gluten free crispy sweet potato fries (moderately successful) and gluten free coconut fried shrimp (successful but still needs tweaking). I also finally took a stab at making a coconut dipping sauce, which was quite successful but still needs tweaking. There is a restaurant in Augusta — The Whiskey Bar — that has a heavenly coconut sauce and this was my attempt at making it. Used coconut milk and sour cream, but it needs more sour cream to get the consistency right. And I think I want to use Greek yogurt next time, to see if that makes it work better. Anyway, new adventures in the kitchen are always welcome!

Sadly, there was also a devastating loss this month. A dear college friend (who was always very private and shall remain nameless here out of respect) passed away after a more than four-year battle with cancer. We were Lancer pledges together at MUW in the Fall of 1978, and she’s been a dear friend since then. I was struck by the consistency in the tributes and comments regarding her life that I saw posted in various social media. Almost every one of them said she was one of the kindest, sweetest people they had every met. What a lovely legacy, and so fitting! She was so much more than that as well: strong, smart, brave, reliable, and constant. And we had a lot of fun together, and some very good times. Her memorial service is Saturday, and I’ll be there to pay my respects. Rest in Peace, dear friend. You are missed and you are loved!

Finally, Birthday Week coming up in a couple of weeks and I have a plan! No, not going to an exotic locale because, let’s face it, travel out of the country is a little weird these days. Not sure yet what I’ll do on my actual “day,” which is a Sunday, but I’m taking the following week off from work and driving the Natchez Trace start to finish! I’ve always wanted to do that. Oh, I’ve been on most of it from Natchez to Tupelo many times. But never that last leg from Tupelo to Nashville, and there are lots of sights along the way I’ve never stopped to see because I was on a schedule. So, stay tuned for more updates during that week as I begin the Decade of Being (gulp!) 60!

The adventure continues…