CONNECTING WITH ZOOM
This week I went from never having used Zoom for meetings to having three encounters. I now consider myself semi-experienced! Once you have the Zoom app on your phone, iPad or computer, it’s easy to be invited to participate. The most novel interaction was the birthday party on Monday afternoon that our daughter-in-law organized for our granddaughter who was turning 4. They are staying north of Manhattan, the other grandparents are in Connecticut, F’s aunt is in Manhattan, and the Chief Penguin and I are hunkering down at home in Florida. We could all see each other in our respective online boxes.
Our son had baked a cake with pink frosting and sprinkles; we sang to F., she excitedly blew out the candles, and they ate cake while we all watched. Then she had presents to open. Conversation flowed, and topics ranged from the availability of toilet paper to what each of us was planning for dinner! A successful event and a great way to feel a part of F’s away-from-home celebration.
Later in the week, we had a virtual dinner party with good Philadelphia friends. We had each done curbside pick-up of our dinners and then enjoyed wine and conversation while showing off our various entrees. On Friday, I conducted a condo board meeting which had 33 people online. For this, I practiced, received helpful tutelage from a savvy neighbor, and took a webinar on Zoom basics.
In these strange and unusual times, there will be more Zooming on my calendar—meet-ups with siblings, for starters. Hope you too are finding ways to stay connected with friends and family, whether it be by phone, e-mail, Facetime, Zoom or whatever!
BURIED IN A GOOD BOOK
Savannah by Eugenia Price
When I was in Savannah in February (which seems oh, so long ago now), I purchased this historical novel first published in 1977. I’m sure I read some other novels by Ms. Price years ago, but this one intrigued me, obviously because of its focus on what is sometimes called the “Hostess City.”
The man character, Mark Browning, a young man of 20 who comes to Savannah from Philadelphia in 1812, is fictitious. But Robert McKay, owner of a shipping company who becomes his mentor and good friend, was a real person as was his wife, Eliza, and their children. McKay was a leading citizen of the time and actively involved in civic affairs and in a local auxiliary militia. Mark is attracted to Eliza and to Caroline Cameron, a young lady of his generation, who has been raised mostly by her grandfather in a family with a complicated and contentious history. The novel is as much about the growth and development of the city of Savannah (its churches, municipal buildings, agriculture and industry, and its beautiful squares) as it is Mark’s coming-of-age story.
Eugenia Price was born on St. Simon’s Island and died in 1996. In addition to her fourteen historical novels, she was well known as a Christian writer and speaker. She penned a number of non-fiction works related to the Bible and Christian living. Given the time (early 19th century) and place (the South) it’s probably not surprising that religion plays an important role in these characters’ lives. Even with that, however, some contemporary readers may find the references to God’s wishes and God’s knowledge a bit much.
It’s long (more than five hundred pages) and slowly unfolds; possibly making it perfect for this strange time when we are so much at home. I enjoyed it and could picture some of the buildings and squares from my recent visit. Now, I need to decide if I want to delve into the next book in Price’s Savannah Quartet. (~JWFarrington)
