Sort of, anyway.

I took some of those freezer-pack thingies from the freezer last night, wrapped them in cotton tea towels and brought them up here for the kittens to sleep on top of and they love them.

So that makes me feel a lot better. They were really suffering from the heat in here.

Luckily, I have a ton of those freezer-packs. I get them whenever I buy something perishable from my favorite local health food store !!!

Also, just to keep the kittens occupied during the heatwave–

I moved a baby grand piano into my room. They love playing on it!! And I get to listen to some really soothing music while I work on the novel…

Anyway.

Yes, it’s fucking HOT. But somehow, I’m dealing with it. I currently have 3 fans in here.

And what’s frustrating is that, the minute you leave this room, the rest of the house is not that bad — 17 open windows, and ceiling fans; the air really circulates. I did my yoga out in the hallway yesterday and it was fine.

I am so tempted to just open the bedroom door and see what Little Blackie would do — would she keep on attacking the other cats, now that the kittens are a lot older? If she does, it’s just too hot right now to deal with the pandemonium that would ensue so I’m afraid to find out.

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Well, yesterday was really something.

I had that new client who is a retired minister. He has cognitive impairment, along with some other intense health issues. But the wife was there the entire time, taking care of him. They were both really nice people.

And of course it broke my heart — the wife’s full-time occupation now is taking care of her husband. They have a beautiful home but since she has no time for anything else, the house is sort of an absolute wreck. (I see that all the time now, too.) And I can’t help but think of what the house was like when they first moved in — when they were younger, celebrated holidays with family, etc. It must have been so beautiful in that house.

And things like that always make me wonder what will happen to my own house as I get older and older; will I stop being able to take care of it?? And then I miss the days when I was younger, whether or not I was married, I always had dinner parties. Always entertained. That part of my life is already over.

So it was another one of those emotionally intense evenings for me, since, as always, God stepped in.

The wife had also studied at a seminary (a very well known one in Ohio), so we had some conversations about Biblical Archeology and other unexpected topics, since all three of us had studied for the ministry in one capacity or another.

Then midway through my shift, she asked if I minded watching the movie, “Fiddler on the Roof.” I was absolutely fine with it! I love that musical — it was a favorite of mine when I was growing up, since it’s a thoroughly Jewish musical.

But I wasn’t prepared for how it would make me feel — the memories it would bring back — watching that movie all these years later. I’ve seen the play many times, but I only saw the film once — with my family, back when it opened in theaters in the fall of 1971 (!!).

A time when my entire extended family was still very, very Jewish. But my parents were already constantly fighting with each other, and I was already getting deep into my own private world. Constantly retreating into it, because my mother’s rage was pretty much off the charts all the time back then.

And yet… all these years later. Just the memory of being in the car with my family, as we drove home from the movie — a movie I had absolutely loved, since I already knew all the songs by heart.

And now, basically everyone in my family is dead. This was over 50 years ago (!!). how does it happen, gang? The flying of time.

I kept these feelings to myself while watching the movie, because I am there strictly for their needs, not to burden them with my own drama.

But when this scene (below) came on — it floored me. I still know this song by heart, and I played it a lot on our record player when I was a little girl but I hadn’t thought of it in years. Not only that, but our family– the entire extended family — always honored the Sabbath by lighting the Shabbat candles back then and saying the Hebrew prayers.

I got really choked up while watching this and I had to of course act like nothing was wrong at all– “Sabbath Prayer”:

And when this song came on — forget about it!! Luckily, it’s just a really moving song, whether or not you’re Jewish, and even the Minister and his wife got a little choked up, too — “Sunrise, Sunset”:

Well, one of the many feelings I was feeling as I left their home last night, was how grateful I was that when my dad died, he had no cognitive impairment at all. He remembered me right up util he went into the coma.

His last words to me on the phone were: “Don’t come today! I’m not feeling very well.”

Later that day, he was in the coma and the hospice nurse was telling me that I’d better get there as soon as possible…

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Okay.

Today, I think I will stick around the house, enjoy the oppressive heatwave and work on the novel — and also get some light housecleaning done.

Tomorrow, the Agency would like me to stop in at the rehab and visit those 2 clients of mine who are in there because it looks like they’ll be in there a long time… The shooting range is on the way to the rehab, oddly enough, so I guess tomorrow will be about that.

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Oh my god!!

I just turned around and saw this! The poor little things. It is really HOT.

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Last night in Hamburg! Several photos this time from the 2nd night of sold out shows. Nick Cave and Colin Greenwood.

The next show is on Wednesday, in Rochefort, France. Tickets are still available for that one. Buy them here.

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Enjoy your Monday, gang, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with another great one from “Fiddler on the Roof” !!

“Miracle of Miracles”. Enjoy, gang.

“Miracle of Miracles”

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles-
God took up Daniel once again,
Stood by his side and- miracle of miracles-
Walked him through the lion’s den!

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles-
I was afraid that God would frown,
But like he did so long ago, at Jericho,
God just made a wall fall down!

When Moses softened Pharaoh’s heart, that was a miracle.
When God made the waters of the Red Sea part, that was a miracle too!
But of all God’s miracles large and small,
The most miraculous one of all
Is that out of a worthless lump of clay,
God has made a man today.

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles-
God took the tailor by the hand
Turned him around and- miracle of miracles- Led him to the promised land!

When David slew Goliath (yes!), that was a miracle.
When God gave us manna in the wilderness, that was a miracle too.
But of all God’s miracles large and small,
The most miraculous one of all
Is the one I thought could never be:
God has given you to me.

c- 1964 – Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick