Wherein I drive to a really beautiful small town, 30 miles from here, called Coshocton. And I have my very first doctor’s appointment in 24 years….

And even though it is another really stunning day here and the drive will be gorgeous, I will be very, very happy when the appointment is over.

I’m going to smile and be cheerful and cooperative, though, and not act like a Big-Pharma-Medical-Mafia-hating Conspiracy Theorist…

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So, this morning has been interesting. Guess who I heard from for the first time in 17 months??

The woman who is the actual owner of 5 of my cats. The ones that I call the “foster cats”.

It was really good to hear from her, primarily because I had feared the worst — that maybe she had passed away. I won’t go into why I thought that.

But she and her husband are getting their lives together now and will soon have an apartment of their own.

It would mean that all of their stuff would finally be out of my barn. And it of course would also mean that 5 of the cats will be out of my home.

Of course it breaks my heart, because now I love all of them, but it would also be a relief. Obviously. I have way too many cats.

We’ll see, though. Just because I heard from her, doesn’t mean I will hear from her again.

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Yesterday was a rough one, gang.

I was with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man, and if you’ve read yesterday’s post, you know that he has family at the house this week, pretending to “winterize” his house, when really they are trying to fix it up to get it easier to get the house on the real estate market basically the minute he dies.

It is astounding to me that they don’t see that he totally knows what they’re doing. They don’t see what they’re putting him through, emotionally.

The only thing that’s “wrong” with him is short term memory loss. He can still perceive things. It was so hard for me to not show the family how angry I was with how they’re going about all this.

When I got there, there was total chaos all around the outside of the house, but he was inside, dressed, and sitting in his chair in the living room. He smiled and quietly said to me, “Get me away from them.”

So off we went to Peony Bistro for sashimi and sake, then we went to the Nature Preserve and just sat in the car for an hour. And he told me everything that he fears is getting ready to happen. And most of his fears, I felt, were kind of right on the money…

I won’t go into all of it, but thankfully, my Supervisor from the Agency called me when I got home yesterday, so that I could “update her” while getting everything off my chest (and eventually calm down). She was so supportive.

Yes, he is losing his interest in living. But that doesn’t mean take his house right out from under him. (His house and property are worth a fortune.)

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Okay.

This arrived in the mail yesterday!

In the recent zoom call with his private Patreon group, James Tabor spent some time going over this film from 2002.

It aired on the History Channel (2002), and it was directed by Simcha Jacobovici, who is a close friend and colleague of James Tabor’s, and whose work I really enjoy.

Even though a lot of things have come to light about this ossuary since 2002 (great things!), I am still looking forward to watching it.

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But meanwhile, I am re-watching THIS and just loving it:

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – Pack Up the Plantation Live! 1985 (1 hr 37 mins):

And I’m also listening to the soundtrack of it in my car. (Yes, I am no longer listening to “songs I played a lot 6 years ago” but that does not mean I graduated past 1985…)

When Tom Petty sang live he was incredible. He usually gave a whole different emotional spin to his songs than what came across on the studio recordings. And the songs still sound so immediate and personal — and like he hasn’t been dead for almost 8 years already.

This track, where he (and the audience) sing “Breakdown” is really well known, but I especially love all the stuff he says/sings at the end!

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And I listened to this while getting dinner ready last night and I thought it was fantastic. I especially loved the part about “Now.” (At about the 6-minute mark) (Ignore the title, that’s just click-bait.)

🌟 Get Ready for WILD Blessings – The Universe Is About to Amaze You 👑 Abraham Hicks 2025 (15 mins):

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And here’s this!!

For no reason. Just because!!

Nick Cave.

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Phil is planning to go live tonight at 9PM, but check here later to confirm!

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And that is it for now. I need to get some stuff done before heading out to Coshocton.

And then once I’m back from Coshocton, I hope to get some writing done!!

Enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Yes, as you saw yesterday, my breakfast-listening music is not too different from what I’m listening to in the car right now!!

Breakfast-listening music!!

From 2015. A collection of Live Radio Broadcasts from the 1970s. And I’m mainly listening to the 3rd CD right now, because it has a lot of live duets with Bob Dylan.

Since it is essentially Fall now, I decided it was time to move on from The Monkees and go back to Tom Petty.

When he played live, he covered a lot of songs that had been hits by other artists. Here he sings with Bob Dylan — a favorite song of mine by John Hiatt & Ry Cooder, “Across the Borderline.” Enjoy, gang.

“Across the Borderline”

There’s a place where I’ve been told
Every street is paved with gold
And it’s just across the borderline
And when it’s time to take your turn
Here’s a lesson that you must learn
You could lose more than you’ll ever hope to find

[Chorus]
When you reach the broken promised land
And every dream slips through your hands
Then you’ll know that it’s too late to change your mind
‘Cause you’ve paid the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you’rе still just across the borderline

Up and down thе Rio Grande
A thousand footprints in the sand
Reveal a secret no one can define
The river flows on like a breath
In between our life and death
Tell me, who’s the next to cross the borderline?

[Chorus]
And when you reach the broken promised land
Every dream slips through your hands
And you’ll know it’s too late to change your mind
‘Cause you pay the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you’re still just across the borderline
Now you’re still just across the borderline

c – 1982 John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, Jim Dickinson