Giving it the best we’ve got

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What a strange morning here.

I am still feeling sad about Tommycakes being gone now. When I got the cat bowls out this morning and remembered that I needed one less bowl now… I can’t believe she was with me for 14 years. And she was a rescued feral. Who would have expected it?

I was planning to trap her as part of that “trap, neuter, return” effort to keep feral cats from breeding and creating more and more cats all over the neighborhood. I was not planning to keep her or her sister and brother– who had all started living in my backyard back then, as kittens.

I named them Huckleberry, Tom, and Becky after the Mark Twain characters–

Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Becky Thatcher

And I got all of the genders wrong. Tommy and Huckleberry turned out to be girls and Becky was a boy!

Anyway. It was a small nightmare from the start, since Tommy and Huckleberry were pregnant and had their kittens in my basement. Then I got all of them spayed and neutered.

Only 2 of their kittens were tame enough to be adopted, and since the rest of them (a total of 8, parents included) were completely feral, the cat rescues wouldn’t take them because they would never get adopted. And since the Humane Society assured me they’d keep the cats for 6 weeks and then euthanize them…

Jesus.

It turned out the neighborhood I was living in at the time was going to be basically torn down, with office buildings put up. Tons of construction on a very busy street. They had no safe place to be returned to.

So I ended up keeping them all.

4 of them have since passed away here at my current house. But I lived in 3 houses with all 8 of them — having to trap them all every time we moved.

I made a promise to them, though, once we settled here in the 125-year-old house in the middle of nowhere, that we’d stay put and I would never trap them again. (The trauma of trapping them was unbelievable, even though I was trapping them inside the house.)

Here is Huckleberry at the first house, when she surprised me by having kittens in my basement:

And here she is in my family room, overseeing all her kittens on my couch, a few weeks older:

Here’s Tommycakes with her 3 kittens, out in my sun room:

Tommy’s kittens were named after these 3 folks (and again, I got the genders wrong):

Zelda, F. Scott, and Scotty Fitzgerald

Two of Tommy’s “kittens” are still with me (they are 13 now) — Francis and Scotty. Zellie (who turned out to be a boy) was tame enough to get adopted.

Anyway. It’s been a really long journey. A lot of stress involved along the way. But as I said, I’m down to 4 ferals now. Huckleberry and Doris (she was named after Doris Day). And Francis and Scotty.

Oh, and here’s “Becky” — I ended up calling him Daddycakes. He passed away soon after we moved here, on April 15, 2019:

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I’m also noticing that I have to keep reminding myself that I am no longer working with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man.

Every time I feel myself filling with anxiety, depression, stress — I have to remind myself that, once my vacation is over, I am no longer going back to that house, so I can let it all go.

Interesting, right? Almost like the “anxiety, depression, stress” creates a void that automatically wants to be filled. Until I remind myself that the cause of it all is gone.

What a “vacation”. It has been just so weird.

And even though I know that eventually my schedule will fill back up with clients, for now, I have only 9 hours of work once my “vacation” is over…

it is just so weird.

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Okay.

Well, I loved this.

Keith lighting up sometime in, like, 1968?

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Oh, and I finally watched this on Britbox. I was aware of the film when it came out (2009), but for some reason I didn’t see it until yesterday.

I loved it. Wow. “Nowhere Boy” — John Lennon Biopic:

It focuses only on John’s life as a teenager in Liverpool. I identified with it so much — especially all the heartbreaking stuff about his birth parents (he was raised by his Aunt Mimi).

Anyway. For whatever reason, I never knew that much about John Lennon’s life before the Beatles. Just a few minor details. But it was so fucking intense and mostly sad. But the film is really well done.

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Okay.

I loved this.

A Nick Cave quote from an old magazine (sort of similar to his comments in his Red Hand File the other day):

And here is the set list from the Netherlands show last night (it doesn’t say what the encore was, though):

And here are a couple of great photos from the show last night.

I love how the shot of someone else’s phone is also in the shot:

And in this one, I like how it looks like that one hand is holding up a tiny piano, while that other hand is holding up…. well…. you know:

You have 2 days to get yourself to Germany to see the next show!! Buy tickets here!!

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And that’s all I have for now.

I know I will survive this weird vacation, but I am just in the strangest frame of mind right now. And the loneliness is off the charts. I had so been looking forward to having lunches and dinners with various friends in restaurants, being in all that busy noise of Manhattan.

Oh, I put a question to a chat bot this morning: “Who would make the best boyfriend for Marilyn Jaye Lewis?”

Its answer was flattering but bizarre. It basically said that while I was a well known and highly regarded writer, there was no known answer regarding a possible boyfriend, except for perhaps male characters in my books…

WFT???

Anyway.

Well, enjoy your Sunday, 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!

From Dublin the other night!! Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “Get Ready for Love” (short):

Talk About Changes!

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Well, gang. If you saw my post from the middle of the night, Tommycakes passed away.

She began to show the signs of dying right when I was leaving for town to get the groceries. So I hurried to town and back, and then spent the remainder of the day just trying to be near her, to comfort her, to be present.

Around one in the morning, she finally let go.

Then this morning, after I had my breakfast, I went outside and buried her right next to Weenie– up close to the back of the house. I can see both of their graves from the kitchen window.

A painting that Valerie did of Tommycakes back in 2016:

I find it really interesting that I had the premonition that she was going to die this weekend, so I canceled my trip to NYC, and she did indeed pass away.

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The other thing in my life that has hugely changed — and I can’t go into all the details of it because I want to protect his family’s privacy–

I asked to be removed from my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s account.

I am no longer going to be working with him. Sadly, my decision had absolutely nothing to do with him, but with factors that have changed in his home life since Annie died. And I am worn out, exhausted, and it created a depression that was taking over my life.

Along with the decision, though, came a sense of release. That I am back within my own life. So maybe now the constant exhausting depression is gone?

One thing I know for sure: I now have a total of NINE hours — 2 shifts — every week for the rest of the summer.

While that feels FANTASTIC (!!), it’s obviously going to have to change because I can’t afford to only work 9 hours a week….

I’m just going to focus on one day at a time right now. It feels kind of incredible. To suddenly be free.

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So my “vacation” went from going to NYC to not going to NYC, to watching one of my cats die, to leaving a (work) relationship with a man I adored that will now make my free time sort of endless…

And then last night, the main reason I was even going to NYC — the Lambda Literary Awards…

Wow, I watched the livestream on YouTube and I want to at least give them kudos for trying, but it was a technical disaster. I finally gave up trying to watch it.

Even though I’m out the $188 I had spent on a ticket to attend the Awards in person, I’m wondering if I would have been really upset to attend the Awards and then have it be such a technical disaster at that price (plus airfare & hotel)?

Plus there was a thunderstorm in NYC, right when I would have been heading to the show. And a heat advisory– upper 90s Fahrenheit.

It almost seems as if saints & angels were looking out for me throughout that whole thing, and I was just meant to stay right here at home.

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This is from Charlie Ward’s newsletter yesterday. I thought it was kind of important so I’m passing it along, in the event you have children or grandchildren.

A growing number of adolescents and young adults are turning to AI chatbots for mental health advice, according to a new nationally representative survey published in JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers estimate that nearly 1 in 5 people aged 12 to 21—around 8 million individuals in the United States—have used tools such as ChatGPT, Meta AI, or Character.AI for support when feeling stressed, sad, or angry.

The study, conducted in November 2025 with just over 1,000 participants, found that more than 40% of those users rely on chatbots at least once a month. Alarmingly, over 60% said they have not told anyone about using AI for emotional support.

The findings highlight growing concern among experts, as many AI systems are not designed or regulated to provide mental health care. Previous research has shown that chatbots may offer inaccurate or unsafe responses, particularly in crisis situations such as suicide risk. Experts warn that these systems can appear highly responsive and emotionally engaging, which may increase their influence on vulnerable users.

Mental health challenges among youth remain widespread, with many facing barriers such as cost and limited access to professional care. Researchers emphasize that while AI tools may feel accessible, they are not a substitute for trained mental health professionals and can pose serious risks without proper safeguards.

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On a whole different note, but still AI–

I found this on Google this morning and really loved the summary (AI), so I wanted to share it, too. (You can pre-order my novel here.):

The Curse of Our Profound Disorder by Marilyn Jaye Lewis is a coming-of-age novel about Jemima Callahan, a young woman who navigates trauma, abuse in foster care, and sexuality while searching for her father, Reverend Parker Peabody, after her mother's mental health declines. The story explores themes of identity, belief, and survival on society's margins, influenced by her mother's philosophy that passion and divinity are intertwined. The book won a New Century Writer Award and was a finalist for the William Faulkner Writing Competition. 
Key aspects of the novel:
•	Protagonist: 
Jemima Callahan, who endures a difficult childhood with a teenage mother and abuse in foster care. 
•	Plot: 
Jemima's journey involves survival through selling herself, followed by a job as a housekeeper for a lawyer, all while seeking her father. 
•	Themes: 
Trauma, sexuality, identity, belief, and the intersection of passion and divinity. 
•	Awards: 
Winner of the New Century Writer Award and a finalist in the William Faulkner Writing Competition.

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And here’s this!

From Johnny Depp and Castle Fine Art, updates on Johnny’s new artwork:

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And from George Vjestica!

A photo from the show in Dublin this past Wednesday, and a reminder that the next show is tonight in the Netherlands! Buy tickets here! (But hurry, because they’re in, like, a whole different time zone…)

And a couple more lovely shots of Nick Cave in Dublin!

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And I think that is it.

I guess I will close this and sit and think about life for awhile. It is absolutely stunning outside today. And I’m still on vacation…

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I’ll close with this.

One of the songs I sang to Tommycakes last evening.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1985, “Southern Accents”. Enjoy, gang.

“Southern Accents”

There’s a southern accent, where I come from
The young ‘uns call it country
The Yankees call it dumb

I got my own way of talkin’
But everything is done, with a southern accent
Where I come from

Now that drunk tank in Atlanta’s
Just a motel room to me
Think I might go work Orlando
If them orange groves don’t freeze

I got my own way of workin’
But everything is run, with a southern accent
Where I come from

For just a minute there I was dreaming
For just a minute it was all so real
For just a minute she was standing there, with me

There’s a dream I keep having
Where my mama comes to me
Then kneels down over by the window
And says a prayer for me

I got my own way of prayin’
But every one’s begun
With a southern accent
Where I come from

I got my own way of livin’
But everything gets done
With a southern accent
Where I come from

c – 1985 – Tom Petty

Well, here’s hoping!

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I’m hoping to get to town and do the grocery shopping in between the 2 storms that are allegedly happening today.

We shall see.

Yesterday’s storm was unbelievable, gang — as far as the high winds. But, luckily, it didn’t last too long. Today, we’re not supposed to have terrible winds, just 2 pockets of heavy rain. Then SUN for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

The high winds are exhausting only because I have to gather all the flower pots and the stands and bring them onto the kitchen porch, otherwise they’ll sail away.

Then, of course, I have to put them all back out again once the storm is over.

Anyway! The neighbors all smile and wave when they see me moving everything around. I guess it’ll be that way all summer long.

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Here’s this!!

I’m reasonably sure that my old paradise apartment on E.12th Street in the East Village will be on this walking tour!! Although I’m not 100% sure about that…

LGBTQ History in the East Village (walking tour)

On June 18th — 6-8PM ($44.52 – per ticket):

In-person walking tour celebrating the history and lasting impact of the LGBTQ community on NYC's East Village.

Join experts from the award-winning NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project for an LGBTQ walking tour of the East Village. Learn how the neighborhood, shaped by economic forces, became home to some of the most influential LGBTQ artists, writers, activists, and clubs beginning in the 1950s.

Historically part of the Lower East Side, the East Village became a counter-cultural and avant-garde haven that included many LGBTQ figures, from poet Allen Ginsberg to drag queen Ethyl Eichelberger. Its affordable housing drew the likes of young lesbian activist Ellen Broidy, co-planner of the first NYC Pride March (1970), and gay "musical host" David Mancuso, whose egalitarian underground house parties influenced the city's club scene, including the Saint.

This 90-minute walking tour will begin in front of architect Louis Sullivan's Bayard-Condict Building, 67 Bleecker Street. Rain or shine.
Me on my old bed at E.12th Street, 1985 — not part of the tour! That bed is, sadly, long gone.

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And don’t forget, tonight starting at 7PM Eastern Time, you can watch the Lambda Literary Awards live on YouTube:

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Okay, here’s this!

Most of the Stones, out somewhere in the 1980s!

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And Nick Cave sent out an interesting Red Hand File yesterday, regarding his thoughts on shame, and also a recommendation for a podcast!

Regarding shame, he says, in part:

“I recognise that many of my regrets stem from a time in my life that was reckless, irresponsible and chaotic, perhaps even dangerous. However, despite these wrongdoings, in many ways I am glad I lived those years outside normal societal constraints. That period gave me a great deal, precisely through the raw experience itself. I don’t say this in defiance, but because I believe there is a certain richness to life that can emerge even from its transgressions.…”

About the podcast, he says:

“…Mark Scarbrough’s “Walking with Dante” podcast – the slowest, maddest, most beautiful, most obsessive podcast in existence! Amazing! …”

You can find the podcast HERE.

You can read the Red Hand File in full, HERE.

UNTITLED, Mark Rothko

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And speaking of podcasts…

I was finally able to have a long chat with my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn yesterday.

Things are actually a little bit better than I’d thought. She is only having surgery on one hand on Monday. Then, after that’s healed, they’ll do surgery on the other hand.

But she fully expects to be able to hold a can of beer get back to her painting and drawing when all that is over, and so our mini-podcast should eventually launch sometime this summer, gang. I will keep you posted!!

[Me — top right. Valerie — middle, bottom. Hanging with the gang in Brooklyn in the late 1980s.]

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Okay!!

Let’s close with more photos from the Bad Seeds’ Dublin show on Wednesday!! The band and fans alike, appeared to have had a fantastic time!

And here’s one from either backstage, or somewhere in Dublin:

And don’t forget, the Netherlands show is tomorrow night! You can buy tickets HERE!

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And that appears to be it for today, gang.

On the home front, Tommycakes is still eating, although she has the tiniest appetite, but at least she shows up in the kitchen at breakfast and eats. And I’ve seen her drink a little bit of water. But mostly, she just finds out-of-the-way places in the house to curl up in and sleep.

Okay.

According to the weather map, now there are NO storms predicted for today, so I guess I can get headed to town now.

Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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In keeping with the situation–

Let’s close with this!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, onstage at Glastonbury in 1998! “Red Right Hand”. Enjoy, gang!!

It Begins!!!

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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)

Keith Richards, serenity now!

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…

Not me…
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

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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??

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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.

“He’s everywhere!!!”

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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!!

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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!

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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:

Photo by Mark Seliger

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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.

Photo by Lauren Krohn

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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

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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.💔

The world of author Marilyn Jaye Lewis