It Begins!!!

June 11, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

My stay-at-home vacation, that is.

And– YES!!! By mid-afternoon, we’ll have thunderstorms and very high winds again!! Yay.

But only for about an hour. We’ll see how that goes…

Meanwhile, it’s a stunning morning here, for now.

And — YES!! I made the drive to Columbus and back yesterday, to take my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man to his physical therapy appointment. And I only shouted (mild) obscenities at other drivers 3 times!!

But overall, the drive was okay and we considered it “an adventure” and we were both very relieved when it was all over and we were back at his house.

And then this–

YAY!!

And then after that, my “vacation” officially began.

But I’ll tell you, gang, those final five days before my vacation started were jam-packed with the Agency and clients and their families needing me to do a TON of stuff. It was just insane. It was nothing that was out of line or anything, it’s just that everyone needed everything from me at the same time. It’s not usually like that.

But I am determined to just take it easy for these upcoming 5 days. Not get depressed or anxious about anything. Let a little joy and ease flow into my life….

(Like this)

And just be happy.

Yesterday morning, I was really near tears over not being able to be in NYC this weekend, and then Iris N. Schwartz called — the poet I reconnected with recently. She and I were supposed to have dinner together on Saturday night. We had a quick phone chat and I just felt so much better.

I will go back to NYC, most likely in the Fall, for the staged reading of “The Guide to Being Fabulous”. Meanwhile, I’m here to look after Tommycakes and ease her way to the other side in whatever way I can.

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Okay!

Yesterday was the 48th anniversary of my graduation from high school! 48 years, gang.

I hated high school. It was the longest most tortuous 3 years of my life. It seemed like it would never end — those 3 years. Those 3 years alone felt like 48 years…

And now I could have gone through 3 years of high school 16 times!! And yet these last 48 years have absolutely flown by. It’s staggering, really. The speed with which life flies when you’re not stuck in the agony of high school.

I was really smart and graduated with honors, and was one of the Class Valedictorians on Graduation Day (we had one male and one female valedictorian), and I’d had leading parts in a couple of the school plays, but I mostly had a reputation for being out of my fucking mind, openly bisexual, sexually active, heavy drinking and drug-taking. I was also a professional fashion model by then. And I had some of my poems published in the school paper (without my consent, I might add — a teacher who oversaw the high school newspaper asked to see some of my poems because she’d heard I was a writer, so I let her read some and then she published them! Imagine my surprise, as I was walking down the hall one morning during my senior year and other students were coming up to me, saying how much they loved my poems!! WTF??)

Anyway.

High School.

So glad it’s over. And on we go…

Me! In spirit…. (Brian & Keith, photo by Bob Bonis, Florida, 1965)

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Okay!

While I was off in my emotional slump, this happened!!

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And here’s a couple from Phyllis Stein!

Fellow Ohioans who likely also hated high school–

The Cramps!

And a lovely photo of Johnny Thunders (not sure how he felt about high school, but I have my suspicions)–

And Richard Hell, maybe from that time he starred as Hamlet on Broadway?!!! Not sure. (He definitely hated high school — I’ve read his memoir — but he’s from Kentucky.)

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And here’s this! Totally unrelated to high school in any way!

From Ross K. Nichols–

“Two scrolls. Both were reportedly discovered by Bedouin in caves near the Dead Sea. One was condemned as a forgery. The other is accepted as ancient and authentic.”

Shapira vs. Dead Sea Scrolls: An Authenticity Test (42 mins):

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And here’s this–

The Birthday Party in Sounds Magazine 1982!

AND!!

Early yesterday , Warren Ellis posted this from Dublin! (Not sure exactly how the pub made him a man, but it did get my imagination going in a likely really unrelated direction…)

And THIS!!! Yay!

Set list from last night in Dublin (wow, some great older songs in there!):

And here are these!

And now you have 2 days to get your bags packed, get your passport together, and head to the Netherlands!

There are still tickets available. Buy them HERE!

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And that appears to be it for now.

I’m going to get out in that sunshine for a few minutes, maybe take a walk before the weather changes.

And then I’m going to relax and think about Caiaphas.

Have a great Thursday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

I actually really was listening to this last night, as I lay in bed, utterly exhausted by everything in my life, past & present & possibly future…

Such a strange song, gang. Such strange days, but back then, when I was only about 8, it seemed totally normal…

Anyway. The Beatles, “Yellow Submarine”. 1968. Enjoy, gang.

No post today

June 10, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 4 Comments

I had a really long day yesterday and I don’t really have anything to post about today.

I’m sort of struggling to be in a good place today. It’s going to be another really long shift. Today is the day I have to drive my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man to Columbus and back, so it is another one of those “driving 120-mile” days.

Tomorrow begins my 5 days off without being in NYC, so really I’m just down today.

But I should be better tomorrow,

Have a wonder-filled Wednesday wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya.

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I literally woke up at 4AM with the chorus of this song playing in my head. So let’s leave with this.

Christopher Cross, “Arthur’s Theme”. Enjoy gang.

What’s Wrong With This Picture??

June 9, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 6 Comments

Well, mostly, it’s raining here again!

But other than that — yes, it’s going to be another day of driving hither & yon. And I am determined to just be in a good mood.

Yesterday was insane, gang. It didn’t resemble any kind of a day off that I’ve ever had. I already had a few errands I’d wanted to run yesterday — locally. Which I did do. But yes, I added a 60-mile drive to go see my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man, fix him some breakfast and a cup of coffee. And then quickly train a substitute caregiver to take care of him yesterday.

And then back home I came — only did SIX loads of laundry yesterday. I’d been planning to do all the bed linens for when the cat sitters would be here, so I went ahead and did all that anyway, even though my trip is cancelled. And then, yes, I vacuumed the whole house!! Again!! (But, wow, does it look great now that all the carpets have been shampooed.)

And I took care of all the flowers outside, and all the cats, both inside and out (got the outside cats ready for flea season). Cooked up some dinners to have in the fridge through Thursday. Etc., etc.

I was absolutely wiped out by 4PM.

And, yes, I did get a text from the Agency at 5PM, asking if I could quickly go back to my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house this morning, before my regular Tuesday shift in a different (nearby) town, to quickly train another new substitute caregiver…. (His regular caregiver that works on my days off is still sick, and I think the woman I’m training today is going to cover my shifts on my upcoming days off.)

And the worst part is that he is still having trouble with his new artificial leg and he fell on Sunday and gashed his head and the paramedics were called in.

It doesn’t stop….

Anyway.

So, yes, I’m driving back out to his house this morning, then over to my regular Tuesday clients, and then after that, the Agency has their annual caregiver appreciation gathering! So I have to go to that before finally coming back home.

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Meanwhile!

Happy Birthday Johnny Depp! I think he’s 63 years old today.

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Okay.

Yesterday, Simon Parkes had a really great update. If you aren’t a member of Connecting Consciousness (it’s free — join here), you can’t watch the video. But it was very, very encouraging. I think good things are going to finally be happening later this summer, gang. We shall see!

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The Max’s Kansas City Project — a charitable foundation — is having it’s 60th Anniversary!

The NYC night club has not been in operation for decades, but the Project is:

“…dedicated to providing emergency funding and resources to financially distressed individuals in the creative and performing arts for housing, medical and legal aid. One time grants are awarded ranging from $500-$1000…”

“… committed to empowering teens through the arts with a focus on substance abuse and suicide prevention by mentoring and motivating them to make healthy choices…introducing teens to the creative arts as an outlet to meet the challenges of life in constructive ways, mentoring them and raising awareness on the dangers and consequences of substance abuse and addiction,”

You can donate here!

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I was very happy to learn yesterday that I can still at least watch the Lambda Literary Awards live on YouTube on Friday night, since I won’t be able to attend the celebration in NYC (which was the primary reason for my trip).

You can tune in here if you also want to watch:

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Legendary Country singer/songwriter/musician, Rodney Crowell, will be on TalkShopLive on Thursday June 11th at 6:30PM, Eastern Time.

He has a very interesting new album coming out on June 26th:

“I guess you could call it a lost album. I stumbled upon it in my vault at home. I’d forgotten about it completely. Largely recorded two decades ago, this record includes features by some of my great friends including Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Benmont Tench, as well as Emmylou Harris and Lera Lynn.”

You can pre-order it HERE.

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Something’s happening tomorrow but I can’t remember what…..

Oh! THIS!! FINALLY!!

You can still by tickets HERE, gang!!

And meanwhile…

I’ve been watching this documentary from 2011 on Amazon Prime the last couple of nights. “Autoluminescent” — about the late Rowland S. Howard.

“…featuring rare archival footage and exclusive interviews with the likes of Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Phil Calvert, Lydia Lunch, Henry Rollins, Thurston Moore, Ollie Olsen and Bobby Gillespie.”

It’s really good:

And here’s this, while we’re at it! “Autoluminescent”, from Rowland S. Howard’s incredible album Teenage Snuff Film, 1999:

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And other than a bunch of other frustrating stuff that’s involved with trying to maintain a 125 year-old house out in the middle of nowhere all by myself…

I keep checking in on Tommycakes. She is still with us, but very much declining. Honestly, I didn’t think she would live through the night last night, but she did. And she’s still eating, so that’s an encouraging little sign.

Here’s a photo of her in the dining room from a couple of years ago. Weenie is on the chair under the table. The two were inseparable! He was her nephew… He passed away in May of last year.

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I’m thinking that is it for today. I have a lot to get organized here, mentally, before I get into that Honda Civic again and head back into town!!

Have a Terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world, gang!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

I don’t know if they’ll be opening their shows with this song again, but let’s get ready anyway!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, LIVE, “Get Ready For Love”! Enjoy, gang!!

No, Not Here!!

June 8, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 4 Comments

I mean, aside from the fact that the above is a depiction of a skyline that doesn’t really exist anymore…

Anyway.

I am really trying hard to not get depressed over not being in NYC this weekend. Aside from the fact that I love NY, I also really need some time away. I was looking forward to just being in the hotel room. Just being away from everything, if only for a few days.

But on we go.

And depending on what Sandra has to say when she gets back from Atlanta, I’ll find out if I’ll still be going to NYC in November. We shall see.

Meanwhile, Tommycakes is hanging in there. (See posts from the last few days if you have no idea what I’m talking about thus far.)

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Okay.

Not positive, but it looks like Johnny Depp is back in the Bahamas! (Perhaps to celebrate his birthday, tomorrow??!!)

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And from George Vjestica (one of the Bad Seeds) over the weekend– the rehearsals are over!

And now it’s only TWO DAYS until showtime!!! You can still buy tickets HERE!!

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From Phyllis Stein —

Another great shot of Willy Deville in New Orleans, 1992:

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And today is the heavenly birthday of my most favorite person that ever lived.

I know I say this every year, when I post a photo of him either on his birthday or the anniversary of his death, but I’ll say it again– life on Earth has never been the same for me since he died.

We met in our Junior year in high school, in the theater department, and remained best friends up until he died from AIDS in October of 1999. Here, he is in my kitchen in the paradise apartment on E. 12th Street in the East Village — visiting for Thanksgiving. I think it was 1986 or 1987.

Happy heavenly birthday, Paul. I miss you so much.

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Okay. I’m gonna close with this today. Hopefully, my spirits will be better tomorrow, gang. The Agency just texted and begged me to go stop in at my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house and at least make sure he gets something to eat, because the caregiver who was scheduled called off. Jesus.

But here’s this — beautiful Nick Cave in beautiful color:

Have a good Monday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting gang.

I love you guys. See ya.

Here we are in the Hinterlands!

June 7, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 5 Comments

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning here. After thunderstorms all night long…

But the new Central Air Conditioning is unbelievably fantastic. What a godsend, truly. I slept really well. We ignored the thunder and lightning and high winds all night long…

Plus, I had moved all the outdoor potted plants and flower pots onto the kitchen porch yesterday, to keep them safe from sailing away on the wind, and when I went out onto the kitchen porch at 4:45AM this morning , not only was everything perfect, but Tiki was out there, sleeping happily in a veritable jungle of blooming flower boxes.

I am of course trying to just look at the positive stuff this morning, although yesterday was a really difficult one — having to decide to postpone the trip to NYC, which I was really looking forward to.

But now I have a total of 6 days off to just relax — and God knows, the house is CLEAN!!

I found out yesterday that the “trip insurance” is practically a scam. So I am out the cost of the airfare to NYC, but it wasn’t that expensive. Still. It was sort of the final straw (I also found out yesterday, by way of a “little bird,” that Sandra might be going into semi-retirement but hasn’t told me yet… She’s currently in Atlanta, shooting another episode of the “Ms. Pat Show” for Paramount+. So we’ll see how she’s feeling when she gets back.)

When I got home from my shift yesterday, I called Wayne to sort of vent about everything — he and I were going to be having dinner together on Thursday in NYC. He told me the same thing had happened to him once, regarding “trip insurance”, but it had ended up costing him almost 3 times as much money as I’d lost.

Later, during the night, Wayne sent me this on WhatsApp. It made me feel better because I had sent a REALLY nasty email to Travel Guard yesterday, and I hate sending nasty anything’s to anybody, but after reading this, I’m guessing mine was just one of millions they probably receive:

And then, around 3AM, when I got up to use the bathroom, I saw on my phone that my niece had sent me a friend request on Facebook! Yay!

Technically, we follow each other on Instagram but she hasn’t posted there in a few years. She is my half-brother’s daughter — the half-brother who is half-Cherokee and absolutely nothing but trouble.

Here she is at age 6 months, in 1997! I had bought her that little dress she’s wearing:

So that was a very nice alert to find when I looked at my phone at 3AM.

And late yesterday afternoon, I finally got an email from my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn. Mentally, she’s doing better, but she does have to have surgery on both hands on June 15th.

So here’s hoping that when I finally get back to NYC, she and I will both be back to normal.

And as soon as we can get everything sorted back out, we’ll get that mini-podcast up and running, finally.

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At least both of my shifts yesterday were really nice ones. And the torrential rains didn’t start until early afternoon, so my drive back out to that guy’s farm yesterday morning was just lovely.

And his home was almost an hour’s drive from my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house. And from a whole different direction than I usually take, so that was a lovely drive, too.

And, yes! Me and my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man had a great day!! Finally, we were alone! The house is back to normal!! And we went out for sashimi & sake and had a really lovely time (ALONE) together!

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As for Tommycakes, I’m just taking it moment by moment, and I hope she will last for the whole summer but when she goes, hopefully I will be here for her final journey.

For readers who are new to the blog — Tommycakes is one of my rescued feral cats. Meaning, she is not domesticated. Feral cats attack people, so they can’t be put into pet carriers– you have to trap them in order to transport them anywhere.

I have (humane) traps in the basement, but the traps are so traumatizing to them that at this stage, since she is so frail and thin, I doubt Tommycakes would survive getting trapped. And even then, no vets around here will handle feral cats. When Daddycakes (her brother) was dying, I found one vet 45 miles from here, who was willing to let me bring him in. He was so far gone and suffering at that point, that I just wanted him to be put to sleep. So the vet was willing to do that for me.

Otherwise, with the ferals, I have to just let God take them in their season. So far, Tommycakes is at least still eating.

Tommycakes with one of her kittens, 13 years ago

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Okay.

Speaking of trying to look at the bright side of things!

74 years ago today, my adoptive parents were married!

Their wedding day was a really happy one. And so was their honeymoon. I’ve decided to just think about that part of it today and let all the rest that came afterward just go…

Happy heavenly anniversary, Mom & Dad. RIP.

And on June 4th, Tom Petty’s 2nd wife, Dana. posted this:

They had gotten married earlier, in Las Vegas, but had their official Wedding Day on June 3rd. Little Richard (on the far right) was the Minister who married them.

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And here’s this!

My birth dad, Don May, and his older brother, Earl, were friends with the Country singer, Johnny Paycheck. They all grew up together in Greenfield, Ohio. My dad’s younger brother, Ralph, who was a professional Country singer as an adult in Nashville, was friends with Merle Haggard.

When Johnny Paycheck met my Uncle Ralph in Nashville and found out he was one of the May boys from Greenfield:

JOHNNY (to everyone in the room): “Those Mays were so poor, that when they had me over to lunch, they fed me mustard sandwiches!”

My dad later concurred that they’d been very poor…

And meanwhile, here’s my favorite Merle Haggard song — a song I first learned about in an interview Rolling Stone Magazine did with Keith Richards!

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And here’s this!

The Rolling Stones in London, 1971!!

And the Rollings Stones at some other time, backstage someplace!

And the Rolling Stones, nowadays:

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And here’s this!!

The Birthday Party by a swimming pool!!

And don’t forget!!

THREE days away!! Buy tickets HERE!!

And Nick Cave sent out a really lovely Red Hand File the other day! Wherein among other things, he had some great things to say about Freddie Mercury!! I loved Freddie Mercury!! And I got to see Queen in concert in Columbus in the mid-seventies. Wow, what a great show!!

But Nick also had this to say about the upcoming live shows this summer — for the band and audience alike — a quote from the song “Rings Of Saturn”:

“This is the moment, this is exactly what we were meant to be“

To read it in full, visit HERE.

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And that is it for now.

I’m gonna do some yoga. Water some flowers. Then head out to see the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat.

I am doing my very, very best to just keep moving forward, gang.

Enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with these.

A song from 1980 that ALWAYS reminds me of those first months, living in NYC right after moving there from Ohio.

Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”, 1980, from their album The Game:

And here’s this!

“Rings of Saturn” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 2016, from their breathtaking album Skeleton Tree. Enjoy, gang.

Sad update

June 6, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Well, I’ve been up since 3am and I still have an hour and a half before I have to leave for my first shift.

I decided I would do a quick post since I have extra time.

Since Tommycakes is very ill and frail (see yesterday’s post) I decided to cancel my trip to NYC next weekend. I don’t want her to die while I’m away, and I’m worried that, since she’s feral and afraid of people, the stress of being around the cat sitters and their lively little 2-year old, could hasten her demise while I’m in NYC.

I just can’t risk doing that to her or to the cat sitters.

I have trip insurance, so I won’t lose any money. And I’ll save a few thousand by not going.

So that’s it for now. Thanks for visiting.

I will post more tomorrow.💔

Just checking in!

June 5, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 9 Comments

I’m not in the best frame of mind here today, so this will probably be a short post. Still, I wanted to at least post something, because tomorrow I’m working an early double-shift, so I won’t be posting at all tomorrow.

On the happy front–

This arrived yesterday!

And on the other happy front — I did indeed get all the carpets shampooed yesterday and, wow, is that PRO Bissell shampooer great. It did a fantastic job.

I was indeed exhausted afterward, but I took some of this:

And then I did yoga. So I feel totally fine this morning. Well, physically fine. Mentally, in addition to everything else on my emotional plate right now, Tommycakes is definitely showing some serious “signs of aging”.

At this point, I’m just praying she hangs in there at least until after I get home from NYC.

She recently turned 14. She came into my world as a kitten. (She & Huckleberry are sisters.) Here she is in the old house, at about age 2:

Today, I head over to my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house and it will be the final day that his daughter will be there. She heads home late this afternoon.

He is absolutely worn out from everything that has gone on these last few weeks, and it will be really good to get back to normal-ish. (Nothing is truly nornmal now that Annie is gone.) I hope to be able to take him out for sashimi & sushi today, but we’ll see how it goes.

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Okay.

From Ronnie Wood today! Landscapes are available!! Check them out and/or buy them HERE!

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Okay.

Cave Things has a T-shirt sale!!

“Treat yourself to 2 T-shirts for £70, usually £50 each!

Simply add any two t-shirts to your basket and the discount will automatically be applied at checkout.

Offer ends 30th June, so don’t miss out.”

Yes! You could be wearing THIS T-shirt all summer!! (Plus another one!!)

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Okay.

My first 2 heroes in the same photo (when I was only about 8 and had no CLUE what was just up ahead)!

Keith and John Lennon, during the filming of the Rolling Stones’ Rock & Roll Circus, 1968, in London.

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And don’t forget this!!

When Keith turned 80 a couple years back and they made him Pope!!

And I guess this was Keith, many years back, thinking about being the Pope…

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And Nick Cave, just prior to shaving off the mustache because they were going to a make him a porn star… (killer suit, though!!) (What a great photo.)

And Nick Cave with a great belt buckle in Belgium in 1989!!

And FIVE more days, gang!! Buy your tickets HERE!!

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And that is it for now.

I will be back here on Sunday morning. Enjoy your weekend, gang, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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From the Rolling Stones this morning:

The Rolling Stones – “Rough And Twisted” (Official Visualiser)

Pre-order the new album HERE!!

We can only hope that I’m gonna look this good!

June 4, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Yes!

Not only am I shampooing all the carpets today, and doing whatever spring cleaning is left (not much), it’s also going to be around 86 degrees Fahrenheit! And sunny! Yay!

But I don’t want to turn on the AC while all the carpets are wet. So I’m probably gonna collapse from the heat by late afternoon.

We shall see!

I’m just happy that the house is going to be really clean, at least for a while. Especially since there’s gonna be a little 2-year-old crawling around here next weekend while I’m in NYC!

I was raised in this era, so, yes, I’m neurotic about keeping my house clean…

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And yesterday, my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s daughter had to take him to a Physical Therapy appointment for his new leg, and so —

Unexpected surprise!!

I was back here at home yesterday, 2 hours early. So I got the rest of the flowers put in the fabric planters and hung on the window sills on the barn.

Now that everything’s done in the “flower department” it makes me feel really happy when I look outside. I just love seeing flowers everywhere.

However.

On the topic of my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man and his new Physical Therapy appointments…

His daughter texted me last night, to see if I’m willing to take him to his next appointment, which is next Wednesday — one of my normal shift days with him.

Of course, I said, yes. But guess where the PT is??

Yes!! If you said:

YOU (guessing correctly): “All the way in fucking Columbus??!!”

Then you are, indeed, correct. So it not only lengthens my shift, it also allows me to deal with that horrible traffic to Columbus and back. And gives me a total of about 150 miles of driving to do that day. (And for however long he needs to get the PT.)

But, you know.

It’s going to make it easier on him if I’m the one taking him there. So of course I’m going to do it. (Plus, it turns out his physical therapist’s name is Marilyn and she’s half-Japanese, so how weird is this?? Sort of like I have to go…so fucking weird.)

So, my hours get cut here & there, and then added back on, here & there.

The two of us, perhaps all summer:

And, of course, here’s this — I used to play this song over & over & over on the record player down in our basement in Cleveland, when I was 9 years old… Now, I’ll be singing it to him, on our drives home from Columbus!! “Two Of Us”, The Beatles. 1970. (Hey, you gotta get your joy somewhere…)

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Okay.

I will not be working on the play today, but hopefully, I will be processing it in my head all day, while I’m shampooing the carpets.

The problem I’m having with it is not about Caiaphas, but how best to treat Jesus’ character, since he is the other guy in the play.

As soon as I can make up my mind about that — you know, how to be funny but also make a few key points and not offend half of the Western world (or myself) — then the play will be pouring onto the page.

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All righty.

Here’s this!

Johnny Depp wished Ian Hunter a Happy Birthday yesterday!!

And here’s this, while we’re at it! A record I played over & over & over in the basement when I was 13!! Ian Hunter/Mott the Hoople do a great cover of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane”!! 1972. Produced by David Bowie:

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And here’s this:

Keith and Mick leaving the airport in Nice, France, in 1971!!

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And here’s this–

Gram Parsons is second from the right:

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And I loved this.

It totally captured how I felt in those years when I was obsessed with reading everything Kafka wrote (including all those amazing letters).

And this book was incredible, gang — a letter to his father; it takes up an ENTIRE book! (They had “issues”.)

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Okay!!

A few great photos of Nick Cave to help us calm the fuck down!!

And then this, just because I love it–

The Birthday Party on the stairs somewhere — oddly, very calm!!

And from Nick Cave Official this morning–

Buy Tickets HERE!!!

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And I think that is it!!

I’m gonna get started around here! And I’m planning on being really happy with the results…

Enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

No snow in sight!! Yay!!

But I love this fucking song — and this video is one of my all-time favorite videos ever!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow”, 2001. Enjoy, gang!!

Crazy days in Crazeysburg!

June 3, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 1 Comment

It’s coming up on Homecoming Weekend here in Crazeysburg — wherein they block off 2nd Street and put up carnival rides and games and have live music, and all the local kids have a blast.

It’s called “Homecoming” because anyone who has prior connections to the village are encouraged to come back for an evening and reminisce.

The hard part about it for me is that it marks the anniversary of the horrible tornado we had 2 years ago. I can’t separate the sight of all the carnival rides going up now, from the sight of all that destruction the tornado caused that year. It happened the night before Homecoming Weekend. The rides were not hit, but many, many homes & a couple of businesses were destroyed.

And all the destruction happened literally 2 minutes from my house but the only street that got hit at all was 3rd Street. But it got hit really hard. No one died but a lot of people were taken to the hospital.

The gas station on 3rd Street that night:

Anyway. It’s over. The gas station, at least, looks better than ever. And I’m trying to just feel those “happy” feelings when I see the carnival rides getting assembled now…

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All right, so on a much less stressful note, but alas, still a little stressful–

I am hoping to take my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man out for sashimi & sake today because it is a STUNNING day out there today! His daughter is still there, though, so she might have other plans. We shall find out.

She heads home on Friday. It has been a really long trip for her.

At the very least, I hope I can get him over to the Nature Preserve near his house. Just getting him around trees in the sunshine makes him so happy. So we will see how today goes.

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Well, my relationship with the Caiaphas play deepens but I still have more questions than answers about how the story is going to unfold.

It requires a lot of sitting and staring. Or driving and staring, as the case may be.

Perhaps even flying and staring — if we cast our thoughts ahead to next week, when I leave for NYC!

Meanwhile–

Ronnie Wood has added another date to his upcoming tour. This one in Lisbon!! You can buy tickets HERE.

And here’s part of Keith’s heavenly birthday wishes to Charlie Watts from yesterday:

And speaking of Keith–

Obviously, I loved this!!

Keith and Anita in Venice in 1967. Maybe smoking, but I’m not completely sure…

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Okay!

Guess what happened 41 years ago on this very day??!!

One of those rare albums that absolutely stopped me in my tracks was released. The Firstborn is Dead. By Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

It was my first exposure to Nick Cave’s music and the scope of his songwriting astounded me. (I still have my copy from — lo! — those 41 years ago…)

And don’t forget!!!

7 more days and counting… (buy tickets here)

And here are these, just because I love them!!

Nick, proving he’s sober? Not sure.

And the happy Bad Seeds 13 years ago! (Their smiles are just contagious, right??)

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And that is kind of it for today.

I forgot to mention that the huge PRO carpet shampooer did indeed arrive and it has been assembled, and tomorrow — my day off — I am going to shampoo all the carpeting in the house.

And I’m also going to be putting out the last of the flower boxes — on the 2 windows of the barn. (Actually, they are fabric flower “boxes” that hang off the sills.)

So, summer will officially start around here tomorrow.

Okay. Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world, gang!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

Yes, it’s from the Oldies FM Radio Station, but it was when I was getting ready to get into bed last night — not getting up in the morning.

I loved this song when it came out, gang. I was living in the paradise apartment on E. 12th Street in NYC — just a stone’s throw from Allen Ginsberg, Richard Hell, and — a couple blocks over — Iggy Pop!

And upstairs from me was the awesome playwright Pamela Enz. We spent many an evening at her kitchen table, sharing a bottle of red wine, smoking cigarettes, while also sharing whatever writing we each had done during the day.

Anyway! This song reminds me of all that!

Pet Shop Boys. 1984 “West End Girls.” Enjoy, gang.

Almost Like Not Working At All!

June 2, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Who knew, gang?

Even though. apparently, it’s been sitting right there on my schedule for a couple of weeks already —

But I finally noticed last night that my Tuesday shifts have been cut back by 1 hour for the rest of the summer!

So, um, yes — my Friday evening shift was totally cut and now an additional hour each week has been cut. But rather than freak out and think about my bank account, I’ve decided that — YAY!! — more time to myself all summer long. (Except that I have that early morning shift out on that farm this coming Saturday.)

Anyway.

It has cheered my mood considerably. I have time to do the blog today and also work on the play a little bit, before heading to town.

And it’s another beautiful day today. So, yay.

Me, driving happy, all summer long… (well, we’ll see how that goes)

Wayne and I had a great chat yesterday!

We talked for about an hour and a half, and not just about his recent trip to Australia and Vietnam. Since it was his birthday yesterday, we also talked about how he feels, being 72. (He was 38 when we met, 39 when we got married.) We talked mostly about how so much has changed in the world.

And we talked about NYC — we’re going to try to meet up while I’m there, but it always depends on his work schedule at the Union Club.

On Park Avenue — where Wayne has been maître’d and head bartender for over 30 years…

Anyway. It was a great chat.

The update on my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn, though — I finally got an update from her yesterday morning and it was not good.

It’s not life-threatening, but the doctor is strongly urging surgery on both of her hands and she is very depressed (and still having a lot of pain, so she still can’t do much of anything, let alone draw or paint).

It’s also looking like I’m not going to be able to see her in NYC this trip, which really sucks, since she’s literally my best friend in the world and I only get to see her about once a year, if I’m lucky.

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Okay.

On to happier things–

From Keith’s birthday wishes to Ronnie Wood yesterday:

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And Johnny Depp has some new limited edition art launching with Castle Fine Art — “Yesterday’s Flowers”:

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And today is Charlie Watts’ heavenly birthday!!!

Happy heavenly birthday, Charlie!

And in my opinion, nothing says “Charlie Watts” like this song!! Such an iconic intro!! The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Women,” 1966!!

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And here’s the Stones in NYC in 1980, photo by the legendary Annie Leibovitz! (Charlie front & center, Keith not going to let go…)

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All right.

EIGHT more days, gang, until stuff like THIS starts happening again!!

Buy tickets HERE!!

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And that is actually it for today.

I’m gonna spend a little time on the Caiaphas play, and then head out.

Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

The Oldies FM Radio Station was only playing disco this morning, so I switched on the CD that’s currently in the retro boombox beside my bed–

So, here’s this!!

From 1956, the fucking classic “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” !!! Enjoy, gang. We sure did.

“Hallelujah, I Love Her So”

Let me tell you about a girl I know
She is my baby and she live next door
Every morning ‘fore the sun comes up
She bring my coffee in my favorite cup
That’s why I know, yes, I know
Hallelujah, I just love her so

When I’m in trouble and I have no friends
I know she’ll go with me until the end
Everybody asks me how I know
I smile at them and say she told me so
That’s why I know, oh, I know
Hallelujah, I just love her so

[Bridge]
Now if I call her on the telephone
And tell her that I’m all alone
By the time I count from one to four
I hear her [knocking] on my door

In the evening when the sun goes down
When there is nobody else around
She kisses me and she hold me tight
And tell me “Daddy, everything’s all right”
That’s why I know, yes, I know
Hallelujah, I just love her so

[Sax solo]

[Bridge]
Now if I call her on the telephone
And tell her that I’m all alone
By the time I count from one to four
I hear her on my door

[Outro]
Oh, hallelujah
Don’t you know I just love her so
She’s my little woman waiting across town
Baby, I’m a little fool for you girl

c – 1956 Ray Charles